


Come To Me

by FanGirl09



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Boggarts, Crying Draco Malfoy, Dark Mark (Harry Potter), Developing Relationship, Discussions of mental illness, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Everyone Needs A Hug, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gentleness, Good Draco Malfoy, Gryffindor Common Room, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lucius Malfoy Being an Asshole, Lucius Malfoy's A+ Parenting, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Overwhelmed Draco, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationships, Promises, Quidditch, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Scared Draco, Secret Relationship, Self-Harm, Smut, Struggling, The Quidditch Pitch: Erotic Couplings, The Quidditch Pitch: The Changing Room, comforting harry potter, crying hermione, draco malfoy has nightmares, draco needs harry, some characters aren't in the story yet, the great hall, the truth comes out, touch-starved draco, voldemort - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2019-07-21 01:34:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16149779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirl09/pseuds/FanGirl09
Summary: Draco and Harry haven't always had the best relationship. However, when Harry finds Draco in tears, their relationship begins to change. Starts as a rewrite of the septumsempra scene from the Half-Blood Prince, and then continued upon request. Enjoy :)





	1. Septumsempra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Harry finds Draco crying in the bathroom, a strange turn of events occur. Harry helps Draco when he's at his weakest, comforting him through the pain.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters or events. They belong to J.K. Rowling.**

As Draco fled the Great Hall he had Harry's full attention. Green eyes stared after the white-haired boy, concern suddenly flooding through his body. Something about the look on his face, and in his silvery eyes, the way he bolted as soon as he saw Katie tipped Harry off that something bad was going on with the young Slytherin. 

Long strides race after Draco through the many halls of Hogwarts. Twist after twist after turn, one corridor after another, making Harry wonder where Draco could possibly be heading. To take refuge possibly? Some secret hideout where he would try to escape punishment and plan out his next harmful scheme.  _He'll get so many hexes thrown his way, they won't even be able to identify him,_ Harry thought, enraged at what had happened to his friend. However, his plan didn't exactly pan out the way he planned, as Harry had had the contrary ideas to what was really going on. He quickly discovered this as he entered Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, the scene before him almost causing his jaw to go slack. 

Draco was white-knuckled, clenching the edge of the porcelain sink, his head bowed. At first, Harry thought Draco was going to be sick. Then he heard the sob, as Draco's shoulders heaved and he glanced up at his own pale, tear stained face in the grimy mirror. He caught Harry's shocked eyes in the mirror, and suddenly his face was no longer filled with pain, or even hatred. Instead it was filled with panic and stress. He whirled to face Harry, wand raised in a shaking hand. Defensively, Harry quickly disarmed him, and Draco's wand clattered to the floor ten feet away. However, Harry was not filled with anger or malice as he thought he would be, but instead a feeling of concern and worry took over him. He rushed towards Draco, who backed himself against the wall, wide-eyed and flailing, desperately trying to protect his vulnerable form from a blow. 

"Stop," Draco begged, still trying to protect himself, "don't hurt me..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Harry said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you." Draco winced as Harry pinned his arms to the sides above his head. "I'm not trying to hurt you, okay? It's okay." Draco breathed heavily, tears still welled in his eyes, pain mingled still with shock. "Mal- Draco, what happened?"

The genuine concern in his voice continued to shock Draco, and his lips quivered.  _"Why?"_

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you trying to hurt me?" Draco exclaimed. "W-why aren't you trying to  _ruin_ me?" 

Harry could tell that Draco was barely containing his tears. One slipped out as he started to speak. "I don't want to do that, Draco."

Two more tears fell, Draco choking on what he was trying to contain. It became harder and harder as they came quicker. "I-I don't understand..." Draco stammered, overwhelmed. Harry had released his hands and was now pulling at his hair. 

Realizing that Draco was about to break down completely, he placed his hands lightly on the sides of his ribs, which Harry could clearly feel through his dress shirt.  _Geez, Draco, when's the last time you ate?_ Harry thought. But with Draco's breathes becoming shorter and shorter, he lowered his voice as he spoke. "You can talk to me, Draco..."

Draco broke, and he broke hard. Shaking his head fervently he stopped fighting the tears and sobbed. Harry frowned, pulling the shaking boy into his arms. Draco clung to Harry, his arms around his neck and face burried in his shoulder. Although, it didn't do much to muffle the sounds of his broken sobs. They wracked his frail body. In the moment, Harry didn't think much of it, focusing all his attention on comforting the broken boy against his chest. "Shh... shh, Draco. It's okay, it's okay," Harry whispered, rubbing Draco's back. 

"No," Draco choked, somehow starting to sob even harder. He shook his head again. "N-no, it's not!"

Harry bit his lip, genuinely concerned for Draco. He wanted right now what he never thought he'd want ever in is life, the ability to comfort Draco, to get him to calm down and stop crying and shaking so badly. The young boy was shaking like a leaf, and Harry doubted that he'd ever seen someone look so terrified and utterly defeated, destroyed even. He shifted their embrace slightly, lowering them to the floor. The embrace felt awkward in that position on the floor, so Harry lifted Draco to sit sideways against Harry's chest and right shoulder, his knees bent over Harry's legs. He embraced Draco again, tighter, who turned his face into Harry's chest. Draco was surprisingly light and bony, which concerned Harry even more. 

As Draco started to calm down, Harry voiced his concern. "Draco?"

"Mm?" He sniffled.

"When's the last time you ate a proper meal?" Harry could feel Draco curl into him more, completely exhausted and not at all minding who exactly was holding him. He seemed comfortable there, almost like he needed it - craved it.  _Is he touch starved too?_ Harry wondered. 

"I don't remember," he mumbled into his shirt. "'S not important..."

"Yes it is, Draco, you need to eat." Harry said concerned, rubbing his back gently again. 

Draco only shook his head. He stayed very quiet for a few minutes as his breathing slowed. He was quiet for so long that Harry was sure that he'd fallen asleep in his embrace. Mind wandering, Harry's body acted on it's own. He raised his right arm to the top of Draco's head, and started to lightly run his fingers through Draco's platinum hair. They stayed this way for a while, Harry worrying about Draco's situation and what could possibly have upset him this much, and Draco enjoying Harry's gentle, caring touch. 

"He's going to kill me, Harry." 

Harry was startled by the soft, shaky voice using his first name, and by the possible meanings that simple statement could hold. "Who's going to kill you, Draco?" 

His voice wavered as he spoke. "Voldemort."

Harry's mind raced. "W-wha-" 

Draco pulled his sleeve up gingerly, revealing what Harry has suspected all year, the Dark Mark. He flinched slightly, and Draco started to get upset again. "I didn't want it, Harry! I swear! But my parents, th-they-"

"Shh," Harry whispered again, "it's okay. I believe you. I believe you, Draco." 

Draco stared up at Harry, silvery eyes full of wonder. "Really?" Harry nodded. "Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you hated me."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "You needed someone."

"But you...?" Draco questioned. 

"Yeah, me. I can't fully understand, but I can try. Is that a problem for you?"

"No," Draco admitted meekly. 

"I thought you would push away my comfort," Harry mused. 

Draco flushed. "You were right. I  _really_ needed someone." 

"I'm right here." 

"Thank you." 

Harry's only response was to hug him tighter. He ignored the wet patches on his clothes went back to playing with his hair. 

"I'm scared, Harry." Draco's voice trembled. 

"Oh, Draco... I'm so sorry." As if it was second nature, Harry leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of the blond's head. 

"Harry?" 

Harry winced. "Yes?"

"Could you do that again? Please.." Draco's voice was incredibly timid. 

Harry cradled Draco to his chest and pressed another kiss gently to his head. "You're touch starved, Draco. Aren't you?"  The question was innocent, and honest.

"I-"

"It's okay to tell me." Draco nodded against his chest, and Harry ran his fingertips through his hair once more. "But your parents... Pansy... I thought-"

"No one loves me, Harry. My father... he's very hard on me. My mother cares about me, but she can't show me affection around my father, which is almost always. Pansy and I aren't together... I haven't truly had a girlfriend..."

"Me neither." Harry admitted. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Are you gay?"

Draco flinched, but then settled back against Harry's chest. "Geez, what tipped you off?"

Harry chuckled. "Hey, it's okay to need comfort."

"Harry, I asked you to kiss me again."

"I know," Harry stated softly. "And that's okay. I was the one who kissed you in the first place."

Draco chuckled once, breathily, and nodded against Harry's chest. 

"Draco?" He looked up into green eyes, green eyes that he'd admired from afar since first year. Harry tucked one finger under Draco's chin and tilted his head up. Draco parted his lips just slightly and soon Harry's were pressed against his own. The kiss was slow and gentle, but both boys soon felt that it was over too soon. Harry wiped the moisture from Draco's cheeks with his thumbs.  "You'll be okay. I promise."

"What...?"

"I won't let him hurt you, Draco. He won't get to touch you," Harry stated firmly.

"Harry..."

"I'm always here for you, okay? Don't come to this bathroom to cry by yourself, please don't let it get that far again. Please?" Harry was practically begging. 

"Okay..."

"Come to me, no matter what time of day. I don't care if it's the middle of the night. If something happens and you need me, come find me. I will try my best to get to you, I promise."

"Harry?"

"Yes, Draco?"

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Upon request by a few very nice people in the comments I have decided to write another chapter. Feedback is always welcome, I love hearing your thoughts! Thanks for reading! :)


	2. More Than Just A Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After weeks on bone-chilling nightmares, Draco sets off to find Harry in the middle of the night.

All was quiet between the two boys for the next couple of weeks, however, the little quips, the glares, and the snarkiness died down tremendously. So much so that it had many, many Hogwarts students confused as to why there was no tension there, especially Ron and Hermione. Harry had gone from obsessively trying to figure out what Malfoy was up to, to now not saying a word about it at all. Of course, Ron and Hermione didn't know about what had happened in the bathroom that night, as Harry had never told them. Nonetheless, Harry continued about his daily business as though nothing had changed. That is, until Draco needed him once again.

Although he was tossing and turning in his sleep, no one else was aware of the internal terror flooding through Draco Malfoy. He writhed, desperately trying to escape whatever nightmare he was having on this particular night. They change every night, although, they always seem to follow the same sort of plot. Draco fails his mission, he gets tortured by Voldemort, and then instead of killing him, he must watch as someone he cares about is tortured, and then killed. Only then is he released, racing the their still warm, and no doubt bloody, body. He wakes up in tears every time, without fail. It's a wonder, he often thinks to himself, how no one noticed the first few weeks. Draco learned quickly, however, to use a silencing charm at night.

This particular night, Draco started to scream in his sleep, not experiencing one nightmare, but cycling through every single person that could be killed to hurt him. He sobbed until his throat was raw, curling in on himself once he finally awakened. Swiping his eyes redundantly, he swiped the curtains aside, slipped on some shoes, and scrambled out of the room, one hand over his mouth to muffle his hiccoughing.

It was a long and lonely trek for Draco, although he didn't notice where he was going exactly until he was almost there. Gryffindor tower is quite the walk from the dungeons and subconsciously he wondered how nobody caught him out of bed. He eyes the giant portrait on the wall, realizing  that he had no way in. This thought threw him into another frenzy, more tears streaming down his face as he wracked his brain for any information that could've possibly helped him. Suddenly, a voice spoke.  
  


"Do you need help, dear?"The lady's question didn't register for a minute, but finally he nodded. "What can I do for you, young man? Is there someone you need me to fetch for you?" Again Draco nodded, sniffling. "And what would their name be, dear?" 

Draco swallowed thickly, desperately trying, and failing, to steady his voice. "H-Harry," he sputtered.   
  


"Harry Potter?" The woman clarified. Draco nodded fervently. "Breathe, dear," she soothed. "I'll see what I can do."

*  
  


Unable to sleep, Harry laid awake on his bed with the curtains mainly drawn. Lumos lit up his bed as he stretched out on his stomach, the Marauders Map in front of him. Harry scanned the map for any unusual activity but found nothing that he found important. Two students probably making out in a broom closet, a couple of teachers roaming the halls, Filch no doubt tearing a strip off of a few first years, nothing too strange. Suddenly another figure moved,  _Draco Malfoy._ Harry's heart lurched, but as Draco was still in the dungeons and he was a prefect, Harry just shrugged it off. His eyes followed the path of Filch and the two first years for a few moments, watching as the two students started moving incredibly fast. Harry didn't blame them, he wouldn't want to be around Filch either. Soon enough they disappeared into the Hufflepuff dorms and Harry chuckled, shaking his head.

"Psst!" Harry started, whipping his head around to see just where the loud whisper had come from. "Psst!" It seemed incredibly close to his head... "Harry!"  
  


Catching some movement in a portrait near his bed, Harry turned to face it. He responded, warily, "Yes...?"

"Harry Potter, correct?" The man in the portrait questioned.

"Yes, sir. Why?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"There's a rather upset young man outside, asking for you. Although he is a Slytherin, so we could just-""   
  


"I'll be right there," Harry whispered frantically, searching for Draco's name on the map. Sure enough,  _Draco Malfoy_ stood just outside the dorm. Harry's mind whirled as he careened down the stairs, throwing open the portrait hole. In front of him stood a trembling young Slytherin with a tear stained face and stooped stature who showed none of the cocky confidence on the Draco most students thought they knew. "Draco," Harry breathed.

"Harry, I'm sorry!" Draco sobbed, burying his face in the other boy's neck. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's okay..." Harry wrapped his arms around the Slytherin tightly. "It's okay, Draco." Harry rested a hand lightly on the back of Draco's head, running his fingers through his platinum hair calmingly. "What happened?"

"I-it was...him," Draco heaved. "He did it... he did it, he killed her!"

"He killed who, Draco?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm. He rubbed the Slytherin's back gently. 

"My mother, Harry! A-and father, and Pansy... and you..." 

As Draco sobbed Harry realized that what Draco was talking about did not actually happen, but was instead, a cyclic, vivid nightmare.  _He probably has those a lot,_ Harry bet to himself. "Shh, Draco," he cooed. "It was just a dream. I've got you..." Harry back-pedaled them to the couch and sat them down together. 

"But... but it could be real, Harry. If I fail my task then that's exactly what will happen, you have to know that... he won't just torture me, oh no, he will make me watch until he crucios my entire family and my friends and, and each-h and every per-person that I've ever had enough, enough nerve to care about..."

"Breathe, Draco... breathe..." Harry leaned down and kissed his temple. "That won't happen, I promise. You're safe here with me." Harry continued to rub his back soothingly, Draco's tears eventually subsiding to only a few hiccoughs now and again. 

"Harry," Draco said, much more calmly this time. "I don't want this task. I don't want to be a death-eater. I don't want any of it."

"I know you don't," Harry replied, brushing blond bangs away. 

Draco slid his body down on the couch so that his head rests against Harry's chest. "You're the only person that I can talk to about this, do you know that?" Harry nodded. "You're also the only person who cares about me on a personal level. The only one who doesn't just see me as my family name." 

"Draco, I knew there was something off for months, I just couldn't put my finger on what. And after last time, I knew that you were struggling. I knew you weren't okay. There's more to a person than just their name and face. It's time people started to realize that." Harry captured Draco's lips with his own, sharing a gentle kiss. 

Draco smiled against Harry's lips. "Thank you."

"You don't have to keep thanking me, Draco. I'm going to do it anyways," Harry stated, smiling into his silver eyes. 

"Yes, I do. Because I want you to know that I appreciate it. I mean it when I say it, Harry." 

Harry shook his head with a low chuckle, hugging Draco closer to his chest. Eventually their breathing evened out, Draco finally able to sleep soundly with Harry's arms wrapping him safely in his embrace, breathing in the sweet scent on his clothes. Neither boy cared, or frankly remembered, just where they were cuddled on the couch. They didn't care that they were laying intertwined in the middle of the Gryffindor common room. All they cared about in that moment, was holding each other.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have ideas for another chapter, would you like to see one? Feedback always welcome, would love to hear your thoughts, as always! Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Wake Up Calls and Scrambled Eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the events of the previous night, a new person becomes involved in Draco's tricky situation.

**Trigger Warning: Semi-graphic mentions of self-harm. Mentions of suicide. Discussion of mental struggle. Please don't read if you believe it will be detrimental to your own mental health. This will likely continue for the next few chapters.**

 

Early the next morning, Harry and Draco still clung to each other, asleep on the couch. As the light of dawn filtered into the room, a slight figure slipped down to the stairs and into the room. At first, in the dim light, she thought nothing of it. It was simply two young Gryffindors who'd fallen asleep there. However, as she glanced back over when laying her books on a table to study, she got a better look at the two figures slumped there. Seeing Harry was not surprising to her in the slightest, however, the other person gave her quite the shock. It was none other than Draco Malfoy. Not only was he a Slytherin, or a boy, but he was Harry's rival! Always had been. 

Tentatively, as to not startle the two awake, she padded over tentatively. Glancing over the pair, she only got more confused. Maybe slightly amused as well. Harry had his arms around Malfoy, holding him to his chest. Malfoy had his face buried into the fabric of Harry's shirt. She shook her head with a small smile. She'd known there was something going on between these two, so she really shouldn't have been shocked, although, she still was nonetheless. 

Just as she went to turn away, Draco moved in his sleep, revealing his face. A pang of sadness rushed through her body. His face was tear-streaked and thin, slightly shocking her. It seemed as if Harry had perhaps been comforting Malfoy. Nightmares, maybe? Or maybe something had happened? But why Harry? Hey eyes ran over the rest of his body, as well. He had become very slender and bony, concerning her further. An uneasy feeling spread over her, but she wasn't quite sure why. Suddenly he moved again, groaning slightly. She jumped back, terrified hat he'd be the first to wake and see her. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the long sleeve covering his left arm shift upwards, revealing a sight that made her gasp almost audibly. She was shocked by the Dark Mark on his arm, but what shocked her more was the dried blood and scattered angry tears in the flesh surrounding it, as well as up his arm and down his wrist. The sight almost made her cry, even if it was Malfoy. Whatever had happened, he clearly was distraught about it. A tear slipped down her cheek as she observed the cuts littering his pale skin. She guessed that Harry most likely knew about the mark... however, she doubted he knew that Draco had been cutting himself. She wondered if the other arm looked the same way...

Of course, this was clearly very bad. But at that exact moment, she knew that there was something else that could be worse. That being somebody else finding them. She shifted slightly to her right and leaned over Harry. "Harry," she whispered, touching his arm gently. "Wake up, Harry." 

Harry came slowly to his senses, being pulled from his quiet, dreamless void. With blurry vision and muffled hearing he heard a girl's voice calling his name softly. Finally, his vision cleared. 

"Harry," Hermione whispered, standing over top of him, looking slightly worried. 

"Morning, Hermione." He went to stretch, "What's the m-" Harry's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Green eyes whipped over to where the blond was sleeping peacefully, nestled against his chest. He'd been so worried about Draco last night that he hadn't even worried about  _where_ they were.  _Thank Merlin_ that it had been Hermione that had found them. He silently thanked her for her habit of being an early riser. 

"Harry, it's okay. I'm not mad or anything okay, shh..." She interjected quickly before he could attempt to explain, albeit loudly, probably waking Draco in the process. 

"I should have told you, 'Mione..." Harry sounded ashamed. 

She shook her head with a small smile. "I should have known, Harry. It's okay. I'm more concerned about Mal- Draco right now." Harry frowned slightly, nodding. "It's really bad isn't it?"

Harry nodded again. "How'd you know?"

It was Hermione's turn to frown. She pointed to her cheek, "Tear stains..."

Harry sighed. "Yeah... it was nightmares last night. But there's so much more to it... he's a wreck..."

"I was afraid of that." Hermione swallowed thickly, remembering the scars. She wondered briefly if she should tell Harry, but quickly decided that now was not the time. "We should wake him so that he can get out of here before people start waking up."

"You should do it, gently though." 

"Why?"

"He has so many nightmares... he's a little vulnerable when he's asleep."

"No, you dingbat," Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Why should I be the one to do it?"

 "Oh." Harry flushed. "Because if you do it and he sees you when he's still sleepy, he might not react as badly to you knowing." 

"Okay..." Hermione said, sighing. "Here goes nothing." She shifted to her left and knelt down next to the sleeping blonde. Gently, she reached out and touched his arm. "Draco..." He curled closer into Harry. She placed her hand lightly on his upper arm and slid her hand down slowly, trying to be more soothing, as not to startle him. "Wake up, Draco," she cooed. 

Draco stirred, yawning. Slowly, he opened his eyes. To both Harry and Hermione's surprise, he didn't start. Instead, he quirked his head with a puzzled look. Then his eyes widened, and he turned to look for Harry.  

"I'm right here, Draco." Harry said softly. 

He turned back to Hermione with an incredulous, and stressed, look. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione cut him off. 

"You don't have to say anything, alright? Because I'm not going to say anything to anybody else. I just wanted to wake you up before someone else found you guys... you don't need anything else on your plate right now."

Speechless, Draco managed one word. "Okay." 

Hermione smiled and spoke softer this time. "I can tell that you had a rough night. You're struggling aren't you, Draco?" His eyes widened slightly, but he still nodded. "That's okay. You know what, if you ever can't find Harry. You can come find me. I know that we aren't exactly friends, and I don't know exactly what going on, clearly, but I don't like seeing people in pain."

Awkwardly, Draco stuttered a reply, clearly not sure how to respond. "Oh, uh... thanks. Thanks... Granger." 

"Hermione." 

Draco nodded, letting out a breath. 

Hermione smiled and stood, heading back to her books. 

She could hear Harry and Draco mumbling quietly to each other. After a few moments they stood and Harry walked him to the portrait hole. She glanced over as they embraced, and caught both of their eyes when they looked her way. She smirked with a wink. Harry then pulled Draco closer by the waist and pressed their lips together softly. She smiled at the two, waving to Draco as he left. 

*   

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked Hermione as they stepped through the massive doors into the Great Hall.

Hermione shrugged. "Off somewhere with Seamus I think? Who knows, honestly." 

Harry chuckled with a small smile as they sat across from each other, a dish full of scrambled eggs perched between them on the table. The two sat down, generously filling their plates with eggs, French Toast, and fruit. Harry shoveled his food in as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. At this thought, he subconsciously glanced across at the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting there with his head down, pushing food around his plate. Hermione followed his glance, sighed sadly, and resumed picking at her eggs. 

"'Mione?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, Harry," she said determinedly. Harry stared at her with his eyebrows raised as she stabbed a strawberry a little too forcefully and shoved it into her mouth. She glanced back up at him and then her eyes flitted back down as she swallowed the bright red berry. She raised her head to look at him, her eyes troubled and fierce. "Harry, there's something that I need to tell you. But first, I need you to tell me what's happened to him."

Harry let out a long breath, eyes fixated on his almost empty plate. "It started a few weeks ago... when Katie first got back from the hospital... Draco, he ran out of the Great Hall and so I followed him... What I found was so unlike what I expected, 'Mione. I was shocked."

"And what was that?" 

"He was crying, Hermione. Just bawling. Instinct took over, I guess. I comforted him for a while, I didn't know what else to do, and honestly... I didn't really try to think of anything else. I just hugged him..."

Hermione smiled sadly. "Did it help, do you think?"

"For a while, I guess it did. He seems to trust me a lot, now." 

Her smile brightened a little. "I can see that."

"Shut it." He smiled a little too, despite himself. 

"And what about last night? What happened there?"

"Vivid,  _vivid_ nightmares. He wet through cycles of them, I guess. From what I could gather last night he lost it at soon as he woke up and came looking for me."

"For comfort?" Hermione questioned.

"Yeah. It took me a while to get him to calm down, and then we fell asleep... He's... struggling."

" _Suffering._ " 

"What?" Harry asked, taken aback. 

Hermione leaned in closer to him and whispered exasperatedly - upset. "His  _arm,_ Harry!"

"I know, Hermione, but he doesn't-"

"No, Harry." 

"What do you-"

Hermione had tears in her eyes now. "His  _arm!_ " 

Harry's eye became wide. "I don't understand what you mean, Hermione. If this sin't about the mark then w- no..."

"He's been cutting himself, Harry! I saw them this morning. Awful, fresh cuts! And that was only on the arm with the mark! Harry how bad is it really? I know him and I aren't on the best terms but he doesn't deserve that pain..." She sniffled slightly, overwhelmed. She'd seen Harry struggle with things in the past, but he'd never been  _that_ bad. She couldn't even fathom what the boy was going through, but knowing his family history, and now the evil mark branding him, it must be a hell of a lot. 

"Please don't cry, Hermione..."

"It's awful, Harry!"

Harry shook his head, wide eyed. "I... I didn't even know about it. I knew he was in pain, but I didn't know that it was that bad..."

They were silent for a few moments, until Hermione broke the silence in a small, wavering voice. "What if it gets worse?" 

Harry shook his head and let out another long breath. "I don't know, Hermione. I don't know... I wonder why he didn't tell me..."

Hermione swiped a few tears off of her now rosy cheeks. "Probably didn't want to scare you away, Harry."

He sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." Harry quickly glanced at the Slytherin table again where Draco was rising from his seat and grabbing his bag. Briefly, grey meets green, and then he's striding out of the Great Hall, no doubt heading for their first shared class - charms. 

Hermione watched him leave as well. "Harry?"

"Yeah?" Harry responded, turning his attention back to her. 

"Um, can I talk to him?" She fiddled with her hair, twisting it between her fingers. "During prefect duty tonight, I mean. Not now."

He raised one eyebrow. "Why...?"

"I want to talk about... well, you know. He doesn't have to know that you know." All of this rushed out in a hurry as she stood, shovelling the last of her eggs into her mouth and grabbing her bag. "I know we're not really friends, or at all really. But he seemed fine with me this morning and-"

"You're really worried about him aren't you?"

She sighed. "Harry, I know the whole mental health thing isn't really talked about, especially in the wizarding world. But I'm sure, growing up a muggle, that you've heard of it."

"Yes, of course," he said, puzzled. 

"Malfoy, I mean, Draco. Sorry, Harry. He's clearly not in a good place. I want to talk to him before this gets out of hand... I don't want it turning to suicide. And maybe if I talk to him first, he will open up to you. I think it's worth a shot." Harry smiled widely at his best friend, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She hugged him back, tightly.  "Does that mean yes?"

"Absolutely, it does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter and it's sort of turn of events with Hermione. Even though Draco and Hermione haven't gotten along well, I believe that if Harry cared for him, and if he was in that much pain, that Hermione would indeed react strongly. She too hates to see people in pain. Anyways, there are a few more chapters on the way! Let me know what you think, I always love to you hear feedback and comments from you guys. Thanks for reading :)


	4. You Don't Deserve This, Draco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Hermione heads to the dungeons to talk to Draco.

Tugging her robes over her shoulders, Hermione hurried out of the girls dormitory. Moonlight shown dimly over the Gryffindor common room as she padded through it, prodding first years sleeping on their homework and advising anyone still awake to head to bed. She straightened her prefect badge, brushed off her skirt, and pushed open the portrait hole. Hermione strode briskly down the hallway, an air of sternness about her person tonight. Truly, she was was just clouded by concern for her newfound... friend? However, no matter how the other students looked at it, she was slightly more intimidating than she usually would be.

Brushing past muttering portraits and a few curious ghosts, the bushy haired girl headed, almost silently, towards the dungeons. Somehow, in the silence, she thought the walk seemed to take longer. It certainly felt longer with what was on her mind. Too many thoughts and questions buzzed in her head.  _Will he talk to me about it? How bad is it? What if I can't find him? What if it's worse than I thought?  How will he react?_

She was startled out of her thoughts by footsteps coming from a hallway nearby. Shaking her head quickly she straightened her robes and walked towards the faint steps. Hermione turned the corner quickly, bracing herself to face Draco, but instead she was faced with Filch's back. He turned abruptly, long, scraggly hair flipping over his shoulder. "Ah, Miss. Granger," he grunted. "What are you doing down here?"

"Just my prefect rounds, as always, sir." Hermione replied, politely. 

"I'm aware, Miss, but I don't find you down here often. Y'er usually on the, er, upper floors, aren't ya?"

"Oh, well, yes... there was a small change of plans tonight," she lied, fighting to prevent herself from blushing, thus giving herself away. 

"Are you sure," Filch squinted. "'Cuz I've seen that Slytherin boy down here as well..."

"Quite sure, Sir," she nodded curtly. 

"Alright then," he drawled, still seeming skeptical. Still, he turned to walk away.

Hermione, surprising herself, called after him. "Excuse me!"

"What?" His voice was gruff, obviously annoyed.

"You said you've seen the Slytherin prefect? Could you tell me which way he went?" She played with her fingers nervously.

He squinted at her once again, then pointed behind her. "That way. Left, then right. Is that all?" 

Hermione nodded, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Yes. Thank you."

"Uh huh." He turned his back on her and continued back the way she came. 

Hermione sighed and pursed her lips, contemplating. Nodding slightly to herself, she set off again in the direction that she hoped would lead her to Draco. She wasn't disappointed; for once thankful for the grumpy caretaker.  

She paused before taking her right turn, leaning against the wall. Hermione stayed as quiet as she could, although, she wasn't quite sure what she was listening for. Footsteps, maybe? Crying? Either way, she heard nothing of the sort. However, what she did hear, was a sort of ragged breathing. It was shaky and came in bursts. Her mind raced, running through different ways to deal with the situation. She wasn't sure that she'd even come to a decision when her started moving. Almost tiptoeing, she rounded the corner. 

Hermione wasn't sure what she expected, but what she got, well, she wasn't sure if it's what she'd thought of. She could see the side of the tall Slytherin boy leaning against a piece of the wall that jutted out from the rest, facing away from her. His blond hai was smushed back against the wall as his face turned skywards. His pale hands clutched at the front of his robes . As she approached him she could see the ragged rise and fall of his chest as he struggled to make them even. She also noticed, both with slight relief and confusion, that he wasn't crying. She tilted her head to the side to get a better look at him, and took a few more steps. 

Suddenly, his head flew up, startled by her sudden presence. "Granger," he all but gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He shrugged and turned to face her. "I'm, well actually, I came to talk to you." 

He scoffed, but it didn't reach his eyes. "About what, exactly?"

She smiled slightly. "Don't worry about that right now. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he shrugged. But then his breathing shuddered and he cast his eyes downwards, knowing that he'd been caught. Mentally he cursed himself. He was sure that Harry had told her some, but he didn't know how much. And he didn't need to seem weaker than he already did. 

"Are you sure?" She asked it softly, already knowing by the look on his face that he knew he'd been caught. He shrugged, sighing sadly. However, the sigh came out as more of a shudder. He leaned back against the wall, searching for breath. "Hey," she stepped towards him, touching his shoulder lightly. "What's wrong?" 

Stormy grey eyes stared back into hers. He shook his head and laughed breathily. Sadly. "Nothing for you to worry about, Granger. It's mine to worry about."

She shook her head and he dropped his gaze. "You seem more than worried." 

"It's nothing, really," he mumbled. 

"I don't believe that." 

"You don't have to," he replied, stubbornly. 

"Harry wouldn't either." He shrugged again, not meeting her gaze. "He's worried about you, you know."

"I know," he said. He sighed sadly. 

There was a pause for a moment, and then Hermione heard him struggle to draw breath again. "Please talk to me, Draco." 

At the use of his given name his gaze rose to meet hers, slightly shocked. He knew she'd used it that morning, but somehow the circumstances had seemed different then. "Why are you worried about me? I'm fine."

"That's not what Harry told me. You must know that." 

He did know that. "Can you just drop it, please? You have nothing to worry about. It's nothing, Hermione!" His grey eyes pleaded with her. 

She swallowed thickly, her gaze meeting the intensity of his. Somehow, though, her expression remained soft and concerned. "I don't think that those scars are nothing, Draco," she whispered. 

His eyes widened slightly, jaw slipping open. "H-how did you-" He slowly slid down the wall and sat on the cool floor, staring at his hands in his lap. 

"I saw them this morning, Draco. When I came to wake you up, you moved in your sleep..." She knelt down next to him on the rough dungeon floor. His breathes becmame slightly more ragged and forced. "Hey," she said softly, placing a hand gently on his back. "It's okay, Draco. I'm not gunna start spreading this around okay? It's okay." He nodded at the floor. "Breathe," she said softly, rubbing small circles on his back for a moment. Draco still wasn't used to comfort, due to the way he was brought up, but he eventually relaxed into her touch. She didn't speak again until his breathing became less strained. "Can we talk about it?" Hermione asked softly. "It's okay if you don't want to."

He thought silently for a moment. There was no use in trying to get out of it now, she already knew about the scars. Plus, it would be nice to confide in someone about it who, clearly, wasn't going to push him away because of it. Slowly he nodded and patted the ground beside him. "Sit," he mumbled. 

She complied and sat down beside the blonde, their elbows and knees touching slightly. Leaning back against the wall she glanced at the Slytherin. He looked back at her and held her gaze as he rolled up the sleeve which covered his left arm. Even though she'd already seen it before, she still had to hold back a gasp. The dark mark covering his pale skin stood out like a sore thumb. But what stood out more were the ragged red tears in the flesh surrounding it, and marking a swath of skin both above and below it. He watched her facial expression as he showed her, expecting to see some disgust. However, he was shocked to see that the young girls face did not show disgust, but sadness and concern. As she looked up at him, there were tears welled up in her eyes. What Draco did not know though, was that this was not he first time today in which this had happened. 

The first thing out of her mouth was also not what he expected. "Are there more?" She asked, swallowing thickly. Instead of responding, he just pulled up his other sleeve. "Is that all?" Her voice wavered. He shook his head silently, pointing to his thighs which were currently concealed by his robes and pants. He chanced a glance back up at her. 

To his surprise, the Gryffindor girl just burst into tears. "Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry."

Startled, he put a hand on her shoulder. "What do you possibly have to be sorry for, Hermione? This is all my mess! It's my fault." 

She shook her head, frantically wiping her eyes. "I just mean that I'm sorry for all of the awful things that you have to deal with." 

He drew his hand away and placed it back in is lap, staring down at it intently. "I deserve it." 

"Is that why you've been hurting yourself?" Hermione whispered. 

Draco nodded. "Partially, yeah. That's a big reason. But it's true, isn't it?" 

"Why would it be?" 

He snorted. "Do you really have to ask? You should be smart enough to figure that out on your own."

She only frowned. "Draco, I truly have no idea what you're talking about. I don't have any clue what could have happened to make you think that you deserve it." 

He shook his head, turning to look away from her. "I'm a bloody Death Eater, Hermione. Isn't that enough?"

"Do you want to be a Death Eater, Draco?" There was a long silence between the two students. "That's exactly what I thought."

"I've been trying to cut it off." 

"It won't work." 

"I know."

"Draco?"

"Yes, Hermione?" 

"What's happened to you to make you believe that you're so worthless?" 

"It's a long story, Granger. You don't want to hear it."

She scooted closer to him. "I have all the time in the world. If you need to talk, then I'm here to listen." 

The corners of his lips turned up slightly. "Okay." Draco proceeded to tell Hermione all he could about the last few years of his life, as well as some events from much farther back. He told her of his family, and his abusive father. Of the way he was raised, and how he hated who he'd become. Of getting the mark that he so despised, and the task he'd received from Voldemort. Of the crying, and the cutting, and the panicking. Of the sleepless nights and the nightmares alike. Of how little he'd been eating. Of that night in the bathroom. Of Harry. By the end of it all, Draco was utterly drained. 

"You don't deserve this Draco, all of this pain." Hermione said softly. "The way you tear you skin open night after night - it's devastating to know that you believe you deserve that."

"It's because I do," he almost whispers. 

"Draco, none of that stuff with you father, or your family heritage, or being a Death Eater, or with Voldemort is  _your_ fault, okay? I need you to know that. It's not your fault." He gazed at her skeptically. "It's  _not,_ Draco. Believe me. You're second in our year - you're bloody brilliant. You can be funny, if a bit of a prick with your humor sometimes. But still hilarious. You're a great quidditch player and a fantastic wizard. Don't listen to your asshole of a father or anyone else for that matter. You  _do_ have people that care about you. You have Harry and I. You can come to either of us whenever you need to. It doesn't matter what time it is, either. We'll be there."

Draco chuckled lightly. "You sound just like Harry."

"That's because he cares about you too," Hermione added. "You should tell him about this, you know. About the cuts. He should know." 

Draco suddenly looked scared. "What if he pushes me away because of it? What if it's too much for him?" 

She shook her head. "It won't be. He cares about you too much to do that to you."

"Okay," Draco agreed. He let out a breath and looked at her. "Hey, Hermione?"

"Yes, Draco?"

"Thank you." 

"For what?"

"Being here for me. Coming to find me and talk to me. For calming me down. For just... being a good person," Draco said in a rush.

"You're a good person too."

He shrugged, to which she scowled. "I just mean thank you for being one of the only people who was willing to overlook how hard I can be to deal with sometimes. I know we've never exactly been friends."

She chuckled at that. "I think we've gotten past that now, don't you think?"

"Yeah, he chuckled. Draco pushed himself off of the floor and held out a hand for her. Once he pulled her up into a standing position he began to speak again. "I appreciate what you did tonight. I... I just thought that I'd let you know that."

Hermione smiled at her new friend. "I mean what I said, Draco. I'm here for you, whenever you need it, okay? You'll get through this. And we will find a way to get you out of this situation. Just hnag in there, yeah?"

He smiled slightly. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Then he smirked, and it reminded her so much of his 'usual' self that he used to show the school. "G'night, Granger." 

She shook her head with a smile as he waved and turned to walk the other way. "Goodnight, Malfoy." And with that she set off back the way she came, heading in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. She needed to sleep and mull things over. No one had to know that neither of them had been patrolling tonight. Although, that talk had been much more important. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, once again! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. There are a few left that I have planned, so hopefully those will be up soon. Please feel free to leave some feedback or your thoughts on this story/chapter. As always, I love to know your thoughts. Thanks again for reading, see you in the next chapter!   
> \- Emma :)


	5. Another Tearful Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Hermione's talk with Draco, him and Harry agree to meet after dinner a few nights later. However, things take a turn for the worst after Harry realizes that Draco hasn't come to dinner. He finds him later that night in the same bathroom as before, except this time, more truths are revealed to Harry by Draco himself.

The next day passed as 'normally' as possible. The golden trio didn't interact with Draco, nor did Harry nor Hermione even discuss him with Ron. Both students felt guilty about leaving him out of the loop, however, they knew it was necessary to keep it a secret for the time being. The day after, Ron left breakfast early to help out Ginny, leaving the other two Gryffindors alone to have a much needed conversation. 

Harry munched on a piece of toast, repeatedly glancing up at Hermione. He dipped it in his egg again and when he looked up, a stern looking Hermione was staring him down. "Harry. Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to ask?"

Harry spluttered. "Uh... did you, you know?" Hermione quirked her head, raising an eyebrow. Harry leaned in, lowering his voice. "You know what I mean, 'Mione. Did you talk to Draco?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, leaning back. "Now was that so hard?"

"Come on, Hermione," Harry groaned. "Did you talk to him or not?"

Her voice softened. "Of course I did, Harry."

Harry drew in a breath. "And...?"

Hermione nodded at him slightly. "It was okay, Harry. He didn't react badly."

"Not at all?"

"Well..." Harry winced as she thought about it. "At first he was a little startled and closed off. He kept insisting that nothing was wrong and he was fine... but Harry... he was almost hyperventilating. I calmed him down and then he opened up to me. About everything. Oh, Merlin, Harry! It's so  _awful._ "

"What about the scars?"

Her head drooped, wisps of brown hair falling into her eyes.  "They're bad, Harry. They cover both arms... and his thighs. New and old. Draco's been trying to cut the mark off..."

"But he's got to know that won't work," Harry stammered. Hermione gazed up at him through her hair. "Oh."

Hermione nodded solemnly. "He might tell you about them, you know."

"Really?"

"Mhmm," she smiled. "I talked to him about a lot last night. And I also told him that he can come to me as well, if he ever needs to." 

Harry nodded. "That's good... I'm glad. He can't have only me, y'know?"

"I know, Harry," chuckled Hermione. 

"Thanks, 'Mione." She smiled once more. Quickly, Harry glanced over Hermione's shoulder at the blond Slytherin boy. He slouched at the table, already looking defeated, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock. Harry frowned, at the same time that Draco looked up. He caught Harry's gaze and they stared at each other for a moment before Harry raised his eyebrows, as if asking if the other boy was okay. Draco only shrugged in response, but his silvery eyes showed otherwise. They were a dark, stormy grey this morning, and the stress etched on his face showed Harry all he needed to know. 

'I'll come see you tonight,' Harry mouthed. 

Draco quickly glanced around him, making sure no one around was watching him. 'When?'

Harry glanced at Hermione, who only smiled and nodded. 'After dinner?'

Draco nodded. 'Okay.'

Harry smiled. 'Hang in there.'

The corers of Draco's lips turned up at that. 'Thank you.'

Harry nodded at Hermione and they rose from their seats, ready to head to their first period along with the mass of students leaving the Great Hall. Harry looked back at Draco through the passing students and patted the spot over his heart. Then he walked away, Hermione quickly keeping stride beside him, knowing that Draco wouldn't be far behind them. When the pair was gone Draco glanced down at his chest and rested his hand on the same spot that Harry just had. Looking out after him, he smiled sadly. Then he picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and strode out of the Great Hall to class. 

**

For Harry, the day seemed to drag, as if every minute was the equivalent of ten. Of course, it was not, but Harry found that dinner could not come fast enough. He wanted to meet with Draco, to talk to him. To find out what more was  _really_ going on in the young boy's head. 

Finally, when the time did arrive to go to dinner, Harry found that he was slightly jittery. Nervously, he slung a hand through his hair while falling into stride behind Hermione and Ron. Hermione grinned at him reassuringly, while Ron seemed oblivious to the interaction. He was also oblivious to Harry searching the Slytherin table for the white head of hair, which was nowhere to be found. At first, the Gryffindor shrugged it off, thinking that he was just running a few minutes late.  _Perhaps he just went back to his dormitory to drop off his things,_ Harry thought. 

As dinner continued, Hermione repeatedly shot reassuring glances at Harry, who was barely touching his food. Beside him, Ron kept steady conversation while mowing down on a chicken leg. 

"Ron," Hermione grimaced, "Do you think you could actually keep some of that chicken  _in_ your mouth?"

Ron gulped the rest of his mouthful, to which Hermione cringed again. "Don't be a prude, 'Mione. A little excess meat wouldn't do you any harm," he said cheekily. 

"Ron!" Hermione gasped, smacking him with her pages of parchment that had been spread before her on the table. 

Harry raised his eyes to the two, chuckling, a smirk spreading across his face. Ron glanced over at him and shrugged with a smile, before catching sight of Harry's plate. "Are you feelin' alright, mate? You've barely touched your food?"

He'd been hoping Ron wouldn't notice, but that had been too much to hope for. Thining on the spot, Harry said the first plausible thing he could think of: "I've just got a bit of a stomachache, that's all. Not really that hungry." Harry shrugged. It wasn't a complete lie. The longer Harry waited to see Draco come for dinner, the more nervousness gnawed at his stomach. 

Ron shrugged as well, and picked up another chicken leg. Much to Hermione's annoyance, he took another enormous bite and said, "Alright, Harry. Want me to eat some of it so you don't waste it?"

Chuckling, Harry gave Ron a skeptical look and pushed his plate to the side. "Take what you want."

"Ron-" Hermione exclaimed, but was abruptly cut off by Ron tipping Harry's plate and scraping it with his knife onto his own plate. 

"Honestly, Hermione," Harry laughed breathily, shaking his head. "What else did you expect?" 

A while later Harry was in the common room with his two friends, sitting doing homework. Well, Ron and Hermione were doing homework, he just stared down at his half-written DADA essay. Draco had never shown up to dinner, and Harry had recently come to the startling realization that he now had no idea where to find him. After half an hour of absolutely no progress, Harry stood from the table and gathered his things. Hermione, knowing exactly what was up, paid no attention. Ron, however, glanced up questioningly. 

"I'm, er, still not feeling that well, Ron. I'm gunna go take a shower and head to bed. Maybe I can just sleep it off," Harry lied, biting his cheek. 

Ron raised his eyebrow briefly, but then seemed to decide that nothing was up and continued his essay, mumbling a quiet, "Okay, mate. G'night."

"Night," Harry answered, turning on his heel. He headed up to his dormitory, but what he did not do was take a shower. Instead, he knelt before his trunk and pulled out the Marauders map. After muttering the incantation, the map came to life. Harry searched the castle with eager eyes, desperate to find Draco's name. Scanning all the floors, empty classrooms, dormitories and bathrooms, finally it appeared. 

_Draco Malfoy._

Seeing it now, his location did not at all surprise Harry. Once again, Draco was in that same bathroom. Harry's heart leapt into his throat.  _That's a bad sign._ Even more nervous than before, Harry swept his invisibility cloak over his slim figure and whipped out of the room. 

Harry practically ran through the castle's empty halls towards Draco. His brain was an endless circle of thoughts, overwhelming him with possibilities with every step. As he neared the bathroom door he stepped aside and pressed himself close to the wall. He listened intently for a moment, and what he heard broke his heart. Guttural yelps of pain echoed off of the walls, intertwined with loud sobs and broken strings of words that Harry couldn't quite make out. Rushing inside, Harry dropped his cloak by the sinks and dashed down the aisle of stalls on his right. Near the end he could see a figure slumped on the ground on the inside, leaning against the closed door.  " _Alohomora_ ," Harry whispered frantically, and the door swung aside. 

"Draco," Harry gasped, nauseated at the sight. In front of Draco lay a puddle of bright red blood, his wrists angry with torn flesh, and a bloody knife with a slightly serrated edge gripped tightly in his hand. When the door had gone, Draco had fallen back into Harry's arms. His face was contorted with pain, tears raging down his cheeks and sobs tearing from his frail body. 

Harry hooked his arms under Draco's and wrapped them around his chest. He pulled his across the room and sat him down between his legs on the floor against the opposite wall. At first he'd struggled, but quickly he stopped trying to escape and just let the emotion continue to flow from him. Harry charmed the door shut and locked it, as well as using a silencing charm, just to be safe. He held Draco in his arms as he sobbed, tearing himself down with his own words in the process. The words were broken and choked, but they were nasty. Harry knew he shouldn't have been that confused, but in that moment, he had been completely lost. He had no idea what had happened to Draco to trigger something like this. 

Harry could feel the sobs wracking Draco's body, and feel how much he was shaking. Harry just kissed Draco's temple and massaged the hand that gripped the knife so that his grip would loosen. He whispered sweet nothings in his ear, always keeping one arms wrapped around his chest. Draco's breathing was very ragged and came in short bursts. Subconsciously, Harry wondered how long he'd been like that. 

"Shh, shh, shh," Harry whispered quickly. "Shh, you're safe, Draco. I've got you. I've got you. Please let go, honey. Please let go of the knife..." He pressed another gentle kiss to his temple and continued to massage the same hand lightly. After another short moment, Draco released the knife, and Harry tossed it to the side, out of Draco's reach. 

Draco let out a few more choked sobs. "But I deserve it, Harry! I deserve this, I deserve to be in pain!" Draco's voice cracked at the end, before more tears spilled out from beneath his closed eyes. 

"No," Harry murmurs lovingly, shaking his head against the top of Draco's. He presses another kiss against the edge of Draco's forehead, and then one a little bit lower down. "No you don't, Draco. You don't deserve this. Not  _any_ of this." 

"B-but I'm a monster, Harry!" Draco's glossy silver eyes flew open as he yelled in anguish, "I'm a monster  _and_ a failure!" Draco continued to hiccough and drag in ragged breath as he stared at Harry intently, scared, but also begging him to understand. 

Harry lifted Draco into a more sitting position, and then helped him maneuver onto his knees across from him so that they could talk face to face. The Gryffindor brushed some stray blonde hairs off of his forehead, then brought his hand down to cup Draco's cheek. He used his thumb to brush away some of the tears, and then continued to swipe it lightly across his cheek. Draco leaned into the touch, his bottom lip wobbling. "I don't know what happened tonight, Draco, but you are  _none_ of those things. I promise you that. What in the world could possible bring you to the point where you'd believe that you deserve to hurt yourself... because, my dear, there is  _nothing_ that should ever make you believe that." He leaned in slowly and captured Draco's lips, cupping his jaw with his left hand. Leaning back slightly, he rested his forehead against Draco's, staring intently into the stormy eyes before him. The pain held in those eyes was heartbreaking. "Now, Draco, can you tell me what happened tonight? What made you feel this way?"

Draco dropped his gaze and nodded, sniffling a little. "Yeah, I... I can do that." 

"You don't have to, you know. Not if you don't want to, or if you're not ready. I just really care about you and I'm worried. But I will understand wither way," Harry assured him softly. 

Draco nodded, sliding back into a cross-legged position on the cold floor. "I talked to Hermione a few nights ago."

Harry swallowed. "I know."

"I figured she would've at least told you something," he shrugged. "She said that I should tell you, and believe me Harry, I wanted to. But I was scared." 

"Of what?" Harry faltered. 

"I didn't want you to push me away because I'm too much. Or because you'd agree with me. Or start spreading it around... I know it sounds stupid because I know you care about me, but imagine what would happen if this got out..."

Harry bit his lip. "Why did you say the thing about me agreeing with you? Agree with you about what?"

Draco hesitated. "About me being a monster and a failure..."

"I... I just don't understand why you'd think that, Draco. We've talked about you being a death eater and how it's not what you want, and about your task as well," Harry pointed out. Then his voice lowered, "What happened tonight?"

"Please just listen while I explain, okay? Don't get angry when I first start to tell you," Draco pleaded, eyes wide. 

"Of course," Harry smiled sadly.

Draco let out a breath. "Well, I'm sure that you saw I wasn't at dinner," he waited for Harry to nod before he continued. "I'd headed upstairs to the Room of Requirement to work on the vanishing cabinet... I don't want to but what other choice do I have? The whole time I was working on it I just kept hearing the word monster chant in my head like a mantra. I'm doing his bidding. I'm doing  _awful_ things, Harry. But, I don't have a choice asof the present moment, do I? You said that we'd figure something out, but until we do, I have to keep working on it. And it's  _so incredibly hard_ that I keep  _failing, every time._ And it makes me feel like I'm failing, and that's only at one of many things. But I still worry that maybe by some miracle, no, not a miracle, but somehow I will fix the cabinet and then all hell will break lose, and it will be all my fault. there will be no one to blame but me. Harry, either way I'm in a lose-lose situation. If I fix the cabinet, I'm a monster. If I don't, I'm a failure and Voldemort will torture me and kill my family... and by doing both at the same time, I feel like both a monster  _and_ a failure. So now I've got these two mantras pounding against my skull and it just  _hurts,_ Harry. It hurts so bad..."

"Oh, Draco... I'm so sorry..." Harry motioned for the other boy to come to him, and he did. He collapsed against Harry, clearly exhausted. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's slim body, feeling his ribs clearly and the sickly thinness of his waist. He rubbed Draco's back while the other boy leaned on him, shaking slightly again. "You're neither of those things, Draco. Not at all. Please don't hurt yourself, my love. You don't deserve it..."

"It hurts so badly, Harry..." Draco whispered, a silent tear slipping down his cheek. "Please make it stop."

Harry swore he felt his heart break in two. The blonde in his arms shakes like a leaf as he falls asleep against Harry's shoulder, his exhaustion getting the better of him. " _Accio knife,_ " Harry whispered, and the knife floated into his waiting hand. He slipped it in his belt and felt around for his cloak with his free hand. Once he found it, he scooped Draco up in his arms, letting the clock drape over the both of them the best it could. Harry cast a quick cleaning spell on the floor in the stall at the end of the aisle, undid the rest of his charms, slipped his wand away, and left the bathroom.

The walk to the dungeons was fairly uneventful, minus a few ghosts that floated dangerously nearby. Harry padded along as silently as he could, hoping that he would draw no attention to himself. As he rounded the last corner to the Slytherin dormitories, he ran into what he thought would be some trouble. A student was down the hall about halfway, pacing steadily towards them. For a moment, Harry panicked, unsure how much of their bodies were revealed. However, his panic quickly dissipated as he realized just whom that prefect was. Hermione. 

She strode over with a smirk and pulled the cloak off of Harry's head. What she thought would be a harmless gesture turned into horror as she gasped at the site. The blood covering Draco's arms almost made her instantly sick and the rest of the picture didn't make her anymore relieved. "Oh  _Merlin,_ Harry!" Hermione whispered harshly. "What's happened to him?"

"It's a long story..." Harry sighed sadly, glancing down at the sleeping boy.

"Should we take him to the hospital wing then, Harry? He's unconscious!"

 "He's just seeping, Hermione. It's okay... that would only make it worse for him. Could you imagine?"

She swallowed thickly. "You're right. Let's just get him inside." Quietly she whispered the password to the wall beside them, shocking Harry who hadn't even thought about the password. She slipped under the quickly shrinking cloak and led them upstairs and through the doorway. " _Lumos,_ " she whispered. 

Quickly they found his bed, pulled open the curtains, slipped inside, and then drew them shut again. Harry layed Draco down gently on his bed while Hermione cast different charms on the space to keep them in secret. Harry brushed some more hair out of his face, and then pulled the blankets over him. He leant down to give him a kiss on his forehead, taking his hand gently and brushing Draco's thumb lightly with his own. However, when Harry stood up, Draco did not let go. Even in sleep, Draco still seemed scared. 

Harry glanced back at Hermione, who smiled. "Stay with him, tonight, Harry," she whispered reassuringly. "I'll be fine to get back on my own. I am a prefect after all. Plus, he needs you."

"Are you sure, 'Mione?" 

"Yes, Harry. I'm very sure. Please stay," she quirked her head with a sad smile.

Harry returned it. "Alright," he finally relented. "If you're sure you won't get caught."

"I won't. I'll be fine. Goodnight, Harry," Hermione yawned. 

"Goodnight, 'Mione," Harry replied, rubbing his left eye with his free hand, tiredly. Then he turned back to Draco, pulled the blankets back, and slipped in beside the exhausted blond beside him. Harry adjusted the blankets and then pulled Draco tightly into his arms. In his sleep, the boy flipped over and pressed his face closer against Harry's chest. 

Harry sighed again, but this time it was a mixture of sadness and contentment.  _Oh Draco, I wish I knew how to help you. But I promise that I will figure it out,_ Harry thought. 

Then Harry kissed Draco on the top of his head, and quickly fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Sorry this update took so long, I had a lot going on. However, I do have a few more chapters planned for this story, so if you're enjoying it, stay tuned! And as always, I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts about this story. Feedback is always welcome! See you next time and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!   
> \- Emma :)


	6. Maybe It Will Be A Good Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry wakes up to Draco still sleeping in his arms. Followed by a trip to Hogsmeade, Harry thinks that maybe today will be a good day for Draco. That is, until Ron confides in his two best friends what he witnessed that night.

Harry awoke quite early the next morning, getting a very short amount of sleep. Draco kept mumbling in his sleep, falling repeatedly into what Harry can only think to be nightmares. He never awoke, thrashed, screamed, or ended up in tears... he simply would mumble incoherently and his breathing would quicken. Harry would wake, rub the boy's back and kiss his temple, and soon they would both be asleep again. 

Upon waking, Harry yawned and smiled sadly down at the boy in his arms. Draco was not short, as he was taller than Harry and quite muscular, but the events of the previous night made Harry feel quite protective, and also sad. He had known Draco had been in bad shape, but what he hadn't known was the extent of the damage. He hadn't known of the self-harm or the hatred, of the frequency of his nightmares, nor the numerous amounts of panic attacks he'd been having. Draco was a nervous wreck, not to mention someone full of self-hatred, a past of neglect and abuse, a nearly impossible task, no  _real_ friends,  and worst of all, the belief that he deserved all that had been throw his way. Harry had had no idea that Draco had panic attacks nearly every day, and no matter how hard he would try, he couldn't seem to stop them. He had told Harry a few weeks prior, one night which they had met quite late, that he felt like he was breaking. At the time, Harry did not have any clue what he meant, as that had only been shortly after that first night in the bathroom. It had been a short visit. It had seemed that nothing too bad had been going on, but Draco had seemed off almost the entire day. He had mouthed across the great hall to Draco to meet him that night as he left the great hall alone after supper, and so they did. If Harry had known then all that he knew know, maybe he could have helped more. Or at least, maybe he could have seen it coming. 

Draco started to stir in his arms, yawning as he woke. As his eyes fluttered open, Harry leaned down and kissed his forehead. Silver eyes glanced up sleepily, and then he smiled. 

"Good morning," Harry whispered. 

Draco quirked his head slightly. "Good morning, Harry." As Harry smiled at him, Draco searched his mind for how he ended up here. Slowly, and then all at once, images from last night flowed into his brain. His smile faded. 

"What's the matter, Draco?" Harry asked, his own smile fading.

Draco averted his gaze. "I'm just... I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what, darlin? You haven't done anything wrong."

"Last night, Harry. I'm sorry for last night..."

"Don't apologize,  I'm glad I found you," Harry admits softly, playing with Draco's hair. 

"But you shouldn't of had to, Harry! I should've been able to control it!"

"Don't be mad at yourself, darlin'. You're going through a lot.  _Can_  you usually control it, Draco?"

"I used to," he mumbled. "Before things got bad."

"What do you mean?"

Draco rested his head on Harry's arm, glancing up at him. "I used to be able to fight them off, the thoughts, I mean. Of how awful I am and everything. When I was really young it was hard because of how my family is, but I learned. When I was first given this task even, I could somewhat control it, but it was much harder. And now I can barely control it at all..." Draco turned his head into Harry's chest so that he couldn't see his face. "I barely go a day without having an attack. As I get closer to having to complete my task and the further I get with the cabinet, the worse it gets! I search for that damn knife more,  I end up bawling my eyes out like a sissy more, and even worse is the amount of time my nerves get the better of me and I end up in a full out panic. The attacks are awful Harry... but I can't stop them. It's embarrassing." 

Using his thumb, Harry turned Draco's face up to look him in the eyes. He stroked his chin gently. "Why is it embarrassing, Draco? With all that you've been through, I couldn't blame you."

Draco bit his lip. "Because, Harry! We can't see each other often, so you mainly only see me personally when I'm a mess! You only see me when I'm in tears on the bathroom floor, or freaking out over one thing or another. It's the same with Hermione. I'm not a pathological crier, Harry, even if that's what it might look like. Some days are definitely better than others, but I only get the chance to see you on the bad days. The  _really_ bad days, and I have a feeling that there will be many more of them to come... The last week has been rough, and I'm so stressed and  _terrified_ that it probably won't take much to set something off, and I  _hate it._ I hate myself for it." 

"I'm trying my best to understand what you're going through, Draco, even if I will  _never_ fully get it. I'm trying. I care about you. And so does Hermione. Actually, she helped me get you up here last night," Harry admitted. 

Draco blanched. "She did? Is she okay? Did she get caught in here without the cloak? Oh  _Merlin..._ " 

"Relax honey, she's fine. We're both fine and we didn't get caught. She even put up silencing charms for us, and I still have the cloak. It's okay," Harry soothed. 

"You shouldn't have had to do that. You both shouldn't have had to do any of this for me... I'm sorry for scaring you, Harry. And Hermione too. I'm sorry for having you both worried," Draco whispered frantically. 

Harry kissed his lips softly. "Anyone who knew would be worried, Draco. Hermione cares, and I do, too. Honestly, I always have... Stop apologizing. It's okay."

Draco snuggled further into Harry's warm embrace. "Thank you, Harry." 

"I'm always here for you, Draco. Okay?  _Always."_

Draco nodded against his chest, but didn't reply verbally. Internally, he still felt awful. He felt the need to apologize 1000 more times to the both of them and then some for all the trouble he'd caused. He was a  _burden._ And nothing, he thought, would ever change that. 

"There's a Hogsmeade trip today. Are you going?" 

Finally, Draco pulled away from Harry slightly to respond. He smiled, "Of course." 

Harry grinned. "Maybe today  _will_ be a good day." 

Draco nodded, even though what he really wanted to do was shake his head. He humored his boyfriend anyways. "Maybe." 

"What are your plans while your down there?" Harry asked happily. 

Draco thought about Honeydukes candy and the Three Broomsticks. This time he genuinely smiled. "Blaise, Pansy, and myself have plans to go to a few shops down there, just for some fun." 

"That's good," Harry nodded. "You could use some time with your friends." 

Draco snorted internally, wondering if he could really call them his friends. He wondered what they would say to or about him if they found out about this whole mess. Nonetheless, he did enjoy spending time with them. "What about you?"

"I'll be spending some time with Ron and Hermione, probably just strolling around and such. Will you three be heading towards the Three Broomsticks?"

Draco smiled again, showing off his teeth. He chuckled, "You know it."

"Well then," Harry chirped. "I'll see you there." 

****

The wind was brisk, but not as bitter as it had been during the past two Hogsmeade trips. Harry zipped up his jacket the rest of the way, stuffing his hands into his pockets which we currently filled with an assortment of Honeydukes candy. Namely chocolate frogs, licorice wands, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Ron and Hermione had spent quite a chunk of change there too, having quite the craving for some sweets. 

Sauntering down the charming cobblestone avenue, the three friends chatted and laughed about the current events around school, namely Peeves' latest pranks and Seamus' latest potion explosion. The latter sent Ron into a fit of laughter, which made Hermione beam at him. 

Soon Ron pulled open the door two a familiar favourite place and the three ducked inside, a blast of warm air from the kitchen rushing over them. The three of them had always loved the Three Broomsticks, and routinely made a stop there during every Hogsmeade weekend. Harry ushered the two towards a table near the bar and they pulled out their chairs, hanging their coats on the backs. 

After ordering three Butterbeers, the friends sat back in their seats and continued their conversation from before. 

"Anything interesting happen with Ginny and Luna lately, Ron?" Hermione asked. "Those two always seem to have a funny story to tell." 

Ron shook his head with a chuckle. "Those two are quite something, I'm tellin' ya, 'Mione. Two nights ago Ginny came back to the common room with oversized ears and purple freckles. Supposedly they'd been practicing duelling by the Black Lake, but Luna couldn't remember how to reverse the hexes, so I had to do it for her!"

Harry shook his head with a laugh. "Sounds like something you would take part in, mate."

Hermione snorted as Ron flicked Harry in the head. "Oi, Harry. You would too!"

Harry feigned offense. "I certainly would not take part in something like that. Do you even know me?"

"You're a git," Ron huffed, rolling his eyes. But he was smiling at his friend.

 Hermione was too. She missed times like these... the times where they could just sit and talk. No drama. No worries.  As she sat across the table from the two boys, she heard the bell ding again. At first she wondered who came in, but once she saw Harry's distracted eyes, she needn't be curious. 

Harry's gaze locked on the blond Slytherin who'd just walked in the door. He smiled upon seeing Draco, who for the first time in a while, seemed to be enjoying himself. He had a small bag looped around his hand, probably from Honeydukes, as well as a bag of what looked to be potions supplies. As he'd mentioned that morning, he was with both Pansy and Blaise.

As Harry watched them he was glad that Hermione had noticed, and butted into their conversation, successfully distracting Ron for the time being. He watched as the three Slytherins settled at a table not too far from his own and began sipping on their own drinks. Shaking his head slightly, Harry returned to the conversation beside him, which had now turned to Dean's latest shenanigan. This time it included talking in his sleep in a rather amusing way and Ron exclaiming, "Oh, Harry! It's too bad you were asleep, mate. You missed the whole thing." This had supposedly happened last night, and guiltily, Harry had agreed. Harry glanced at Hermione, knowing that they had to tell him soon. 

Over the course of their hour visit, Harry had glanced over at Draco's table quite a few times. He wasn't trying to be nosy, he simply just wanted to see if the blond was having a good time. To Harry's pleasure, it seemed that he was. Most of the times Harry looked over, Draco was smiling and chatting with his friends, sipping on his Butterbeer. This time, Harry glanced over and immediately smiled. Draco was laughing along with Pansy at something Blaise had said. He had his head tilted back with his eyes closed, shaking his head as laughter burst out of his mouth. Harry chuckled a bit, despite himself. 

Ron noticed. "What are you laughing at, Harry?"

Harry, slightly panicked, thought on the spot. "Er, that git overthere spilled his butterbeer on himself."

Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "What git? Who're you talkin' about Harry?"

Harry shrugged with a chuckle, scanning the place quickly. He spotted a Ravenclaw boy heading for the bathroom and improvised. "The Ravenclaw back there."

"Ah," Ron chuckled. "Bloody fourth year. Clumsy, ain't he?"

Hermione chuckled at that, but eyes Harry warily. He understood what she meant without her having to say a word.  _Be careful, Harry._

Soon enough the three were leaving. Harry wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood, shrugging on his jacket. As they passed Draco's table, the two briefly locked eyes. Draco wore a big smile on his face, and Harry smiled at him over his shoulder. Thankfully, Pansy and Blaise had their backs to him, so they wouldn't notice. 

Catching up to his friends, Harry sighed happily. As he stuffed his hands back in his pockets he smiled to himself.  _Maybe today was a good day._

Or maybe it wasn't. 

****

Ron Weasley had no idea of anything going on between Draco and his two friends. The ginger had been completely oblivious, and it might've stayed that way if he had not been completing his prefect rounds on that particular night. 

Ron paced the halls of the castle. Up one and down another. Corner after corner. One whispering portrait after the next. Usually he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He had become accustomed to it. Yes, once or twice he had caught a first year or two out of bed, usually a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw, but he didn't punish them to harshly. The younger students liked Ron, as he wasn't as tough on them as say Draco or Hermione. Ron would give them a warning the first time, and send them back to bed, no house points lot. Only if he met them out of bed again would their house meter go down. 

This particular night however, was very different. The air had a strange stillness to it, and it left Ron wary. Something felt off.  _Wrong._ He, of course, wasn't sure what exactly. But it had him searching every nook, cranny, and doorway for something unusual. 

Finally, around midnight, Ron was almost done his patrol. He yawned, supposing that perhaps nothing was wrong and it was simply his imagination. As he passed the second floor bathroom on his way back to the tower, something stopped him in his tracks halfway down the hall. Ron backtracked a few steps, ginger hair bouncing, and stopped in front of the usually empty bathroom. Except tonight it wasn't empty. The door stood slightly ajar, although he heard no sound. "Odd," Ron muttered to himself, and rested the pads of his fingers on the door. 

Ron hesitated a moment, and then pushed the door open slowly, begging it not to make a sound. His wish was granted, and the door opened soundlessly. Wand out, he stepped slowly towards the main part of the bathroom, inching closer ever so slowly. Finally when he reached the corner, he stepped around it slightly, peering around the light coloured wall with curiosity. Then his jaw dropped. This was not at all what he expected. He thought he may find a couple taking part in late night activities, or a couple of rambunctious first years, but instead he found Draco. 

He sat again the far wall, all alone, curled into himself. His knees were pulled in tight to his chest, his head resting between them, free hand resting on his hair. His shoulders shook with nearly silent sobs; his wand lay aimlessly on the floor a few feet away. He looked disheveled and unkempt, nothing like how Ron was used to seeing the Slytherin. He stood silent, and shocked, watching the boy's shoulders heave. Draco made almost no sound, leave for the few whimpers that escaped probably involuntarily. 

Ron didn't know what to do. Should he say something? Should he announce his presence? What would Malfoy do if he was aware that Ron was witnessing a moment that was undoubtedly supposed to be private?  _Then why was the door open? Why wasn't it locked? Why no silencing charm? Why... why is Malfoy crying?_

Ron decided against saying a word. Instead he kept his mouth shut tight, eyes glued to the boy on the floor who had always looked so proud. So confident. So...  _invincible._ But now here Ron was, seeing Draco broken on the bathroom floor. He knew that to find Malfoy like this, something  _awful_ must have happened. The only emotions Ron had ever seen on the boy's face were happiness, superiority, and pride. But this was clearly none of those things. Of course, Ron had also seen him in physical pain, but even that he tried to mask. He had always thought Malfoy as someone with no sense of guilt, sadness, emotional turmoil... but of course, he too was only human. And humans feel pain. 

Ron turned to leave and had only taken a step or two when a choked sob escaped the boy behind him, followed by a gasp for air. Ron paused, pursing his lips.  _Did he feel bad for Malfoy? Did he care?_

_Why?_

Quickly he decided that it didn't matter. What did matter though was that no one else find him that night. This was  _personal_ , and no one else had to know about it. Ron would, at the very least, grant him that. 

Silently, Ron said the two charms in his head that Malfoy had forgotten to put up. A locking charm and a silencing charm. Quickly and soundlessly, Ron slid out the door and closed it. Making sure that his charms had worked he pushed on the door, but it didn't budge. He nodded to himself, and headed back towards his dormitory.  _That's enough patrolling for one night._

As he stepped through the portrait hole, a thousand thoughts wreaked havoc in his brain. He was having a very hard time handling this situation, and processing all that had just happened. Suddenly, a voice called out to him. 

"Ron," Hermione called softly, "is everything okay?" 

Startled, Ron glanced at where she and Harry sat at a table, going over some work from potions. "Yeah... I-I guess so."

"Are you sure, mate? 'Cuz you look like something's thrown you for a loop," Harry stated in a teasing tone. 

"Well, that's 'cuz somethin' has..." Ron padded over to the two, pulled out a chair, and plopped down in it. "You'll never believe what just happened." 

Harry chuckled, scrawling something on his parchment. "What, was Ginny out snogging someone again?"

"Harry," Hermione chided. 

"Sorry," he shrugged in response. 

"No... not exactly. I, er, I ran into Malfoy."

Hermione eyed him, warily. Harry glanced up at her and then back at his work. "Well, Ron," she started. "He is a prefect, you know. He was probably just doing his rounds." She took a sip from a steaming mug. 

Ron rolled his eyes. "Do his rounds include the second floor girls bathroom, 'Mione? Cuz somehow, I doubt that."

Simultaneously, Harry's quill slipped across the page and Hermione almost spit out her drink, ending up choking on it instead. As Hermione cleared her airways, Harry asked, "What do you mean, exactly, Ron?" 

"Harry, I found Malfoy crying in the bathroom. Curled up on the floor, head buried in his knees, crying. All by himself. I probably wouldn't have found him if the door hadn't have been open just that wee bit. Absurd, eh?" 

"Yeah," Hermione coughed. "Absurd." 

"Er, what exactly, did you do about it, Ron?" Harry asked cautiously. 

Ron shrugged, as if that was a stupid question. "I left him alone of course. If it was be, I know I wouldn't want to be bothered. I put a silencing and locking charm on the door and left - came right back here."

Taken aback, Hermione asked, "Why did you do that? The charms I mean."

Again, Ron shrugged. "It was the least I could do, I guess. I don't know, 'Mione. It just felt like the right thing to do... But it shook me, ya know? I mean what would  _Malfoy_ of all people have to cry about?" 

Harry and Hermione exchanged a long knowing look. It made Ron slightly uneasy, but curious all the same.

"Ron," Harry said calmly. "Hermione and I have something very important to tell you."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I've been quite busy. Here's the next chapter, and another one will hopefully be up again soon after. I have a few more chapters planned out for this story, so it's not over yet! :) As always, let me know your thoughts!


	7. Absolutely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ron discussed the situation with Harry and Hermione. An unexpected guest shows up at the Gryffindor quidditch practice. Draco and Harry get some alone time. 
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: This chapter includes graphic description of sexual content.

Come to Me – Part 7:

Reeling, Ron stood rooted to the spot. Harry and Hermione had just spent the last twenty minutes explaining what he had witnessed just moments before in the  bathroom, and he wasn’t sure had much more information he could take in. His idea of the Slytherin boy had just been blasted to pieces, as well as what he thought about the rivalry between him and Harry… and Hermione’s friendship with the boy, too! They’d been hiding this whole ordeal from him, and although he could see why, he couldn’t help but still be slightly upset about this discovery. Staring at his shoes, he furrowed his brows.

Tentatively, Harry spoke up. “Er… are you alright there, mate?”

Ron glanced up, “Huh?” Hermione and Harry peered at him cautiously. “Yeah,” he dropped his head back, letting his eyes fall shut. “I just need to process this, that’s all.”

Hermione nodded, then gently added, “I know it’s a lot. And we’re sorry from keeping this all from you, Ron. We just weren’t exactly sure what was going on at first or what to do about it, it all kind of happened so fast.”

Ron nodded, then opened his eyes to meet hers, then Harry’s. “I’m not mad, ‘Mione. At either of you. Not mad, just flustered. How could you go from being enemies, or rivals, or whatever, to being a couple,” he gestured at Harry, “and you two being friends?” That time he gestured to Hermione. “It just doesn’t make sense to me!”

Harry bit his lip. “He needed someone, Ron. You did take in all that we just said right?”

Again, Ron nodded, working his bottom lip between his teeth as well. “Of course I did! And now I feel bad for the bloke – no one should have to deal with that… any of it. Not his dad, or Voldemort, or the panic attacks, or the… uh-“

“We know, Ron,” Hermione finished. “It’s awful.”

There was silence between the three of them for a few moments, Ron studying the carpet while Harry and Hermione glanced between each other and their friend. Without looking up, Ron whispered, “Are they bad?” Then he lifted his head. Harry and Hermione both nodded solemnly; he swallowed thickly. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Hermione cut him off.

“Don’t ask, Ron. Please – just don’t.” She had tears in her eyes.

_It must be worse than I thought._

“You both really care about him.”

Harry slung an arm around Hermione, who swiped at her eyes. “We do.”

“Then I do, too.” Both friends looked shocked – clearly not having received the response they expected. “I mean it. He doesn’t deserve that. I know he’s been a prick to us in the past, but I can get passed that too. Plus, some of that was probably either an act or taught to him… or forced.” He shrugged. “You know what, I don’t even care why he did it. At this point, if he really does need someone, and needs help, then I’ll be there, too.”

Smiling, Hermione threw her arms around the ginger. “I’m so glad, Ron Really, I am.” He smiled into her bushy hair, glancing up at Harry. He nodded, padded over to Ron, and layed a hand on his arm.

“Thanks, mate. For helping.” He used his free hand to rub the back of his neck, “And for being so accepting. I was scared you’d be mad at me for, ya know…”

“Liking guys?” Ron offered.

“Yeah.”

“Harry, we’ve been friends for years. I don’t care whether you like girls or guys, or both – it really doesn’t matter to me. Just be happy.”

Harry grinned, nodding. Then he patted Hermione on the shoulder.

“Hmm?” The girl had been almost asleep against Ron’s chest.

“Get some sleep, ‘Mione.”

“Okay,” she yawned. Hugging both boys she mumbled, “Goodnight.” Then up the stairs she went.

The boys smiled at her, and then followed, turning in for some much-needed sleep.

*

The next morning, the three friends sat together for breakfast. The conversation was pleasant, and full of yawns from Harry and Hermione. Despite having less sleep than usual, Ron felt unusually energetic. Not normally a morning person, it was an amazing feeling.

Slopping syrup onto his pancakes he glanced at his two groggy friends. “Come on, you too,” he chirped. “Wake up!”

Hermione glared at him. “What’s gotten into you this morning, _Ronald._ Usually you’re the grumpy one.”

He shrugged, shoveling a sopping piece of pancake into his mouth. “I dunno.”

She glared again. “Stop that.”

He smirked, then deliberately chewed with his mouth open.

“Ron!” Her copy of the Daily Prophet quickly became a weapon. Ron guffawed; Harry chuckled.

From the Slytherin table silver eyes watched with curiosity. The trio were laughing and chatting, although two looked utterly exhausted. Harry and Weasley were dressed in their quidditch robes – practice began in half an hour. He quirked his head to the side slightly, wondering vaguely what it would be like to be a part of their group. A quartet. Draco frowned, watching as he pushed eggs around his plate – that would never happen.

Glancing back up he jumped, meeting Weasley’s green eyes. They looked curious, but not angry for once. He tilted his head unconsciously, jaw softening. The boy smiled at him slightly, then nodded. He must have looked shocked because Ron seemed to chuckle. Recovering quickly, he returned the smile and nod, praying no one around him had witnessed the exchange. Ron returned to his conversation and Draco returned to his scrambled eggs, scowling. _What was that about?_

*

Hermione sat in the stands at the quidditch pitch, sweater unzipped due to the nice weather – much warmer than yesterday. The players darted through the air practicing a new attack technique, much to Ron’s dismay. He still seemed optimistic though, and she didn’t know what had gotten into him. Maybe he was just glad to be in the loop, not feeling as if he was missing something. Like he had both friends back, although they’d never really left.

She cheered as Ron saved the quaffle, and again when Ginny scored on him. She chuckled, a big smile gracing her face. The practice was going well until about three quarters of the way through. Harry had been practicing dives for much of the second half of the practice, dives without his hands, hugging the broom between his thighs. He’d been doing pretty well, until about halfway down, where the broom slipped out from between his legs. Terror shown on his face as he flailed both his arms and legs, racing towards the ground.

Suddenly he slowed, then stopped completely before he dropped the last two feet to the dirt. All of the Gryffindor’s pelted to the ground to check on their captain, Ginny helping him to his feet. Ron swooped down with his broom in hand, which was a little worse for wear, but still intact. So was Harry, dazed, shaken, and bruised, but otherwise perfectly fine. Hermione let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, glancing around the stands to see who’d cast the spell. The stands were empty.

Hermione drew her brows together, scanning and rescanning the area. She repeated this until a shuffling sound caught her attention; she glanced below her to her left. The sun glinted off of a blonde head of hair and she quirked her head, smirking. Of course he’d be here.

She caught a low mumbling and assumed it was Draco, and tilted her head to hear him better.

“Potter,” the boy grumbled. “Are you always this stupid?” He sighed, long and ending with a breathy chuckle. He ran a pale hand through his hair, then shook his head. As he glanced up through the slat between rows, the sun illuminated his face. He wore a smile, liquid silver eyes soft and happy.

Hermione smiled. “Draco?”

He froze, swallowing thickly, then his eyes only turned her way. Letting out a breath at the sight of her, he turned her way. “Hi, Hermione.” He glanced around her.

“Don’t worry, I’m alone.” He nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. Hermione thought that it rather sited him, more than that smirk he usually wore round others. He looked so calm around the two of them, it was a nice change to see etched into the boy’s features. “Did you cast that spell?”

He nodded. “Yeah, and trust me, Harry scares the living daylights out of me sometimes when he plays. Stunts like that…” He shook his head.

“Didn’t you use to do that, too?”

“Don’t be skeptical,” he rolled his eyes. “Of course I did, but that’s me, not him. I don’t care if I fall, but I _do_ care if he does.”

“Have you always?”

Draco sighed. “Honestly? Yes. I’ve always wanted to be close to him. I don’t know if I always _knew_ that I felt this way towards him, but I’m sure that I have. But it hard to show that when you’re supposed to hate each other, Hermione. It was difficult.” He paused. “I know that I’ve already apologized for how I’ve treated you, all three of you, but I still fee awful. The guilt kills me.”

Hermione reached her hand down and Draco took it; she squeezed. “Stop, Draco. We forgive you. And we’ve been awful to you at some points to.”

“Like when you punched me in the face?” He retracted his hand and pointed to his face.

She grimaced, and then chuckled. “Yeah… sorry about that.”

He laughed. “No worries. That was years ago now, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she laughed. “About three now, I think.”

They both laughed, but were abruptly cut off by a round of cheering from the pitch. Hermione whipped her head around, and Draco ducked farther beneath the stands so he wouldn’t be seen.

“Thanks, Hermione!” The team cheered as loudly as they could from the pitch where they walked towards the changerooms. A few of them clapped. She gave them a half-hearted thumbs up, glancing at Draco out of the corner of her eye. “Sorry,” she mumbled sheepishly.

“I’d rather them think it was you. It will make more sense to them anyways. They wouldn’t get it being me, they’d probably just attack – think I did it.” Hermione frowned at him, raising her eyebrows. “Sorry. It’s just so frustrating! You two are the only two that… get me. I wish more people did.”

“Draco… you’d have to open up for that to happen. Out yourself, and blatantly turn against your family. Are you ready for that?”

Draco bit his lip, not meeting her eyes. “Not yet.” Then he raised his gaze, defiance and determination glinting in his eyes. “But I will be.”

Hermione smiled. “Good. And we’ll be here for you the whole time.”

“I know.”

“Good,” she smiled again. “Now let’s head down to the changerooms. I think Harry would love to see you. And I have a feeling you’d like to see him, too?” He grinned. “Alright, come on. Most of the team’s left already.”

Hermione descended the stands and met Draco at the bottom. “Hold on, I’ll go in and see who else’s in there first. Then I’ll come back to get you.” When he nodded, Hermione set off for the changerooms.

After rapping on the door, she stepped back and waited. Footsteps echoed inside, and then the door squealed open. “Hey, Hermione,” Harry said.

“Hey. Who else is in here?”

“Uh, just Ginny and Ron, why?” Harry asked skeptically.

Hermione pleaded. “Just trust me. Can you send them back to the castle?”  

“Er, I guess so. Hang on.” The door swung shut, and Hermione waited again. She glanced over her shoulder at Draco, a motioned to wait for another moment. Soon the door opened again, and Ron and Ginny emerged, chattering loudly.

“See you at the castle,” Ginny chirped as she passed.

“Yep! I’ll be there soon,” Hermione sang.

Then Harry emerged, turning and locking the door. Turning back to Hermione he smiled, “Alright, ‘Mione. What’s so important?”

“Well…” she turned and beckoned Draco with her hands.

Quickly, a white-blond head appeared from beneath the stands and jogged their way, stopping in front of the two. Harry’s jaw dropped, lips turning up into a shocked smile. “Draco?”

Draco smiled and stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck. Harry smiled, hugged back, and buried his face into Draco’s neck. “Hi,” Draco whispered happily.

“I’ll just leave you two be,” Hermione mused, smiling. “I’ll save you both some lunch. Draco, I’ll send yours with a younger student.”

“Thanks, ‘Mione,” Harry replied.

“Yeah,” Draco turned his head to look at her. “Thanks, Hermione. Really.”

She nodded. “Not a problem. Have fun.” With a wink, she turned and left, smiling ear-to-ear.

After a few moments, Harry pulled away from Draco and smiled up at him. “What are you doing here, Draco?”

He blushed. “I came to watch you practice.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, hun, but you could’ve been seen. I don’t want you to have to deal with that weight on your shoulders, too.”

Draco smiled softly, running his hands down Harry’s arms. “I was perfectly out of sight, Harry, don’t worry. I hid close to Hermione under the stands, only she knew I was there. We had a nice chat, actually.”

Harry stared at him, eyebrows raised. “Next time, ask for my cloak. I’ll lend it to you if you’d like to come watch, okay?”

“Alright.”

“Now, what do you say we get up in the air and have some fun, yeah?”

Harry’s excitement made Draco nervous. “Uh, Harry? Do you really think that’s a good idea for me? I haven’t flown in months… I’m weak.”

“You’ll be okay,” Harry reassured. “I have my wand, I can catch you if you fall. You’re safe with me.”

Draco smiled. “Okay.”

“You do trust me, don’t you?” Harry asked, smirking.

“With my life.”

Harry stuck his arm out, mumbled an incantation, and caught the flying broom with ease, tossing it to Draco. Then he mounted his own, and took off. “Try and catch me!”

A playful glint in his eye, Draco too mounted his broom, and kicked off. The wind tossled his hair, some getting in his eyes. It was cool, but not cold, just perfect. Draco tightened his grip and leaned forward, instincts taking over. He’d missed quidditch, missed the wind on his face – missed flying. He’d missed all of it. Speeding up, he smiled. This is what he should be spending his time doing.

Harry zoomed past the goal posts and circled back, climbing higher. Draco followed, sighing contently. Harry dove, Draco dove. Harry pulled up last second, so did he. Harry zigzagged across the turf, Draco tried to gain height and dive down to catch him. As Draco dove, Harry pulled back and came back up on the other side of him.

“Dammit, Potter!”

“Bite me, Malfoy!”

“You’re not the snitch!”

“I _am_ the snitch!”

Draco rolled his eyes, accelerating as he did so. As Harry circled low around the goalpost, Draco pulled up higher, then chased after him. Harry was so close to the ground that he was practically on it. Draco, having watched Harry practice that whole afternoon, attempted exactly what he had done. He dove after the raven-haired boy, tightened his legs around the broom, and then unclasped his hands. He spiraled on the broom, which, from far away would’ve looked both dangerous, yet beautiful. For Draco, it was exhilarating. At the very last second he pulled up, opened his arms, and wrapped them around his torso tightly, still with his broom between his legs. They landed softly, Harry astonished and Draco laughing – both sporting huge smiles.

“I can’t believe you pulled that off!” Harry exclaimed. “I’ve been working on that for weeks!”

“I didn’t find it that hard,” Draco said smugly. “Just try harder.”

“Oh ha-ha, Draco, very funny.”

“I thought it was,” he smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “Let’s go put our brooms away.”

They sauntered across the pitch towards the equipment racks, Harry sliding his hand into Draco’s as they did so. Butterflies came alive inside Draco’s stomach, he felt his face heat up. Pulling the door closed behind them, Harry took Draco’s broom and mounted it on the wall. Then he did the same with his own. He polished them up quickly with his wand, as Draco studied some posters on the far wall.

Suddenly, arms clasped around his waist from behind. Harry leaned against him. “I’ve missed meeting up with you. We’ve only been able to properly meet one or twice, and never for long.”

“I’ve missed you too, Harry,” admitted Draco.

“I wish we could spend more time together.”

“I wish that too.”

Harry kissed him between his neck and shoulder, then again a bit further up his neck. “What would you want to do if we could meet up more?”

“I don’t know.”

“No?” Harry breathed, kissing him twice more, the second time between his neck and jaw. “No ideas?”

“No,” he gasped, tilting his head to the side.

“I think I might have some ideas,” Harry purred, kissing along Draco’s jawline.  

Draco moaned, then spun to face Harry, crushing their lips together. Harry backed him into the wall, and pressed his body against Draco’s. Draco grabbed his ass as Harry kissed and nipped at his neck again. Draco moaned, pulling Harry closer, pressing their groins together.

“ _Merlin, Harry,_ ” Draco moaned, going after the boy’s lips again. Draco licked the other boys bottom lip, and when he parted his lips, pushed his tongue inside. Their tongues circled each other, Draco’s eventually winning. When he pulled back, he tugged at Harry’s bottom lip with his teeth. Harry’s hands wandered under the Slytherin’s shirt, thumbing at his nipples. His breath hitched as Harry pinched it, then he tilted his head back in pleasure as he took it in his mount, circling it with his tongue. He used his fingers on the other one, and then switched. Draco groaned, feeling how hard he had become. Harry pushed him back against the wall when he arched his back, and he could feel the buldge in Harry’s pants too.

“Fuck,” Draco groaned.

“Yeah? You like this, Draco?”

“Yeah,” he breathed. Then he moaned again as Harry pressed their groins together again, attacking his neck.

“It seems like you more than just ‘like’ this, babe.” Harry dropped to his knees, unbuttoning Draco’s slacks. He looked up at Draco, and raised his eyebrows. Draco simply nodded and Harry pulled them and his underwear down, exposing Draco’s cock. Harry leant down and wrapped his lips around it, pushing himself down Draco’s shaft. Draco’s breathes shuddered and he moaned, his head hitting the wall behind him. Harry used his tongue base to tip, and then took Draco as deep as he could, until he gagged on his cock.

“ _Oh, Harry,”_ Draco gasped, grabbing a fistful of his dark hair. He thrust his hips forward unconsciously, and Harry gagged again. Draco glanced down at Harry to see that he was palming himself through his trousers, his neck and ears flushed.

When he felt his stomach tightening he pushed Harry slightly. “Oh… Harry, stop. Stop. I’m gunna cum if you don’t stop…”

Harry pulled off his cock, stood up, and pressed his lips to Draco’s again. They both groaned. Harry’s hands delved under Draco’s shirt, tugging it off over his head. The blond now stood there half naked and panting, trying to breathe between desperate kisses. Draco tugged Harry’s shirt off too, and let his hands drift to the muscles on his back, feeling them ripple under his warm skin.

“ _Harry,”_ Draco gasped. “I want you, Harry.”

“I want you, too.”

Draco moaned again and Harry pulled back, tugging out his wand and charming the door shut and locked, and the room silent from the outside.  He stripped off the rest of his clothes, as did Draco, and Harry kissed his lips again. Harry bent him over the workbench used for working on brooms and spread his ass cheeks. Muttering an incantation he summoned lube, spread it on his fingers, and pulled Draco slightly closer.

“If you want me to stop, tell me,” Harry said, bending to press a kiss between Draco’s shoulder blades as he slid one finger inside of him. The other boy gasped, tightening around him. “Relax, baby,” Harry soothed. “I’m not going to hurt you. Breathe.”

The blond took a deep breathe, trying to relax around Harry’s finger. Once he did, Harry pumped his finger a few times before adding a second. “Still okay?” Draco nodded. Harry started scissoring his fingers, to which Draco gasped again, breathing deeper. “You’re doing great, babe. Breathe. Do you want me to keep going?” He nodded again. “Okay.” Harry added a third finger and pumped a few times more. Then Draco called out, arching his back. _That’s the spot._

“Ready?” Harry asked, pulling his fingers out and instead slathering lube on his own throbbing cock.

“Fuck me, Harry. Please,” Draco panted, stroking his cock with one hand.

Harry smirked, it seemed he rolls were reversed. He could work with that. He positioned himself at Draco’s entrance, then pushed in slightly. Once he was all the way in he paused, waiting for the okay from Draco. The blond nodded after a moment and Harry pulled back, then thrust back in, finding a rhythm. It started slow but quickly gained speed. Draco pushed himself back onto Harry as Harry pulled at Draco’s hips. Both boys panted, eyes half-lidded with pleasure.

Abruptly, Harry pulled Draco up to a half-standing position, and started kissing his neck, nibbling on his shoulder. Draco groaned, “Fuck, Harry.”

Pulling out quickly, Harry spun him around, pressing their lips back together and lowering them to the floor. Draco spread his legs and Harry positioned himself back between them, thrusting back inside of him. Harry lowered his body on top of Draco’s, his thrusts becoming faster. Draco kissed Harry’s neck as he thrusted inside him, the blond groaning as he did so.

Harry started to hit Draco’s prostate, and the boy called out again. “Ah, Harry!” He started to pant, as did Harry, the two of them moving together.  

“Fuck you’re so hot, Draco. I couldn’t resist you,” Harry moaned, pressure building inside. He was close.

Draco moaned loudly again and Harry pounded his prostate. “ _Merlin, Harry. Don’t stop. Please.”_

“Cum for me, baby. That’s it,” he encouraged.

Draco stroked his cock, repeatedly moaning and calling out Harry’s name. Harry thrust faster, pressing his lips to Draco’s once more, until the blond threw his head back to the ground and called out, cumming on himself and Harry. Harry went for the boy’s neck again, coaxing him through his orgasm. Draco jerked his pelvis as he tightened around Harry, which send the Gryffindor over the edge.

“Draco, _fuck…_ ” Harry buried his face in the crook of Draco’s neck as he came, his thrusts stuttering, and groaning in the blond’s ear. Harry collapsed on top of Draco, his face still buried in the blond’s neck.

“Fuck, Harry,” panted Draco. “That was so good…”

“I hope so,” Harry chucked. He nuzzled his face further into Draco and sighed contently.

Draco grapple for his wand on the floor, and, once he found it, cast a spell to clean them up and send away the lube. Where it was going to end up, he had no idea. He rolled Harry onto his side so that his head was no on his chest instead. He brushed his thumb over Harry’s cheek. “I didn’t realize how much I’d craved that. Needed that. Too be close to you.”

“Intimate?” Harry proposed.

“Yeah,” Draco nodded.

“Me too.”

Draco smiled. “We should get back to the castle soon. Our friends might get suspicious.”

Harry laughed at that. “Yeah we probably should.” They were quiet for a moment, Draco still stroking Harry’s cheek. “Draco?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Did you have a good day?”

“It’s only lunch time, Harry,” he mused.

Draco could practically feel Harry roll his eyes. “I know, but I mean so far.”

“Absolutely.”

“So it’s an actually good day?”

“Yes.”

“And we can do that again?”

Draco chuckled. “Yes, Harry. We can.”

“And this, too?” Harry asked, cuddling more into Draco’s chest.

Draco smiled. “Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, but I hope that the long chapter makes up for a few days delay, haha. So what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments! More smut? Less smut? More fluff? Something else? I have ideas, but I always appreciate your input. I may be able to get another update in while I'm off for March Break, but I'm away in Florida for the week with my family so no promises. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed! As always, thanks for reading!  
> -Emma :)


	8. The Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning in potions, Hermione realizes Draco is about to panic. When she follows him out of class, she realizes that Defence Against the Dark Arts that day may do more harm than good.

 Note: This chapter includes descriptions of a panic attack and trauma. If this will be a trigger for you, please do not read. 

* 

“Good morning, everyone!” Slughorn bellowed, much too jolly for that early in the morning.

“Good morning, sir,” a few people called back, but many were still half-asleep at their desks.

“Well then,” he called. “Let’s get started then, yes? We’ll be starting off with a quick lesson, then we’ll get into brewing.”

Hermione pulled out some parchment and laid it out in front of her, dipping her quill in ink afterward. Slughorn began rambling on about the ingredients of an invisibility potion and Hermione followed along carefully, taking meticulous notes on how the potion is to be brewed, which ways to stir, and for how long, and any other tidbits of information she thought would be particularly useful. Scribbling out her notes she barely looked up, except for when Slughorn took a quick break to find a jar of potion ingredients in order to demonstrate proper use.

Hermione glanced around the room at the other students. A few of the Slytherins were asleep at their desks, as were a couple Gryffindor’s, namely Seamus and Katie. Everyone else was doing as she was, racing to copy down the proper instructions and ingredients… all but one. Draco. He sat at his desk, staring down, unfocused into his lap where his hands clenched and unclenched. There was parchment and a quill on his desk, but the page was completely blank, not even one point scrawled in his neat script.

Hermione furrowed her brows; this was abnormal for Draco. He was very intelligent and interested in most of his classes, _especially_ potions. She glanced beside her to where Neville was doodling in the corner of her parchment, then backwards over her shoulder at Harry and Ron. They were both oblivious to the other boy. In fact, neither of them even glanced up at her. It was then that she heard a soft snore escape Ron from where his head was propped up on his arm, hair falling slightly n his face. Harry was awake, but barely. She rolled her eyes, and faced the front again awaiting Professor Slughorn’s return.

He returned a moment later, a jar of some mushy substance floating in a murky yellow liquid in his hand. Hermione grimaced as he undid the jar and scooped some out into his bare hand. A couple seats away from her Pansy gagged, as did Neville. The smell was pungent and rotten as it filled her nostrils. _How can he hold that in his bare hand? How does it not make him ill?_

She shook her head and glanced at Draco again. No reaction. Nothing. He hadn’t even looked up from his lap. Her mind reeled. _What was he doing?_ Then she saw his heaving chest. The way his eyes clenched shut; the concentration shown by the way his brows came together. _Oh no._

Her mouth fell open as Slughorn droned on, putting two and two together. She didn’t know why this was happening right now, but it didn’t matter. He clearly needed to get out of class and away from this situation. She tried to catch his eye, but to no avail – they were glued shut.

Upon a quick glance, she determined that no one else was noticing Draco’s panic, not even Blaise sitting beside him. How, she will never understand. _Maybe he’s half-asleep too._

As Slughorn finished his spiel about the repugnant ingredient, students started to stir, some waking friends from their slumbers. Draco did not move.

“You have the rest of the class to brew your potions. Go ahead,” Slughorn finally finished. The crowd of students rose from their chairs and rubbed their eyes, yawned, then started preparing their ingredients. Hermione stayed put, her eyes following Draco. He rose shakily and made a bee-line for the classroom door. She watched him go, then turned her gaze to Professor Slughorn, who looked shocked as he stared down the centre aisle where one of his star pupils had just disappeared down. He looked at Hermione questioningly and she pushed herself from her chair, meeting the professor halfway.

“What’s wrong with Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger? I sure hope that everything’s alright, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Perhaps not, Professor,” Hermione admitted. “Draco is dealing with, er, an issue outside of the classroom, you see.”

“Ah,” he sighed. “Thank you, Ms. Granger.”

“Professor?”

“Yes, Ms. Ganger?”

She hesitated. “Would it be possible for me to go and check on Draco? I believe he may need some… assistance.”

He eyed her warily. “Is this some kind of teenage-romance ploy? A plan of sorts, hmm? I don’t mean to assume, but I don’t need any trouble.”

“No!” Hermione burst out, glancing back at Harry. “No, of course not, Professor. I’m just a friend – he’s seeing someone else.”

Slughorn seemed to have caught her glance at Harry. He smirked. “Very well. You two are off the hook for this one.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Hermione stammered, turning back to her desk and sweeping its contents into her bag. While everyone focused on their potions, she also swept Draco’s materials into her bag, then swooped out of the room.

Hermione scanned the hallway until she spotted a small form huddled on the ground about ten feet away from her. She rushed over, dropped her bag, and sank down on the floor beside Draco. The blond was shaking violently, barely able to breathe, at times choking on his own breathes. She pulled his shaking form into her arms and he choked again. His back was to her chest and she wrapped her arms around him, trying to make him feel secure, but not tight enough to feel trapped. Although she knew that eve, but not tight enough to feel trapped. Although she knew that everyone reacts differently during panic attacks, she thought she’d try this. Physical comfort had seemed to work before, and she’d done this for Harry a couple of times before as well.

She rubbed her hand gently over his chest a few times. “Breathe,” she whispered. “You’re safe. I’m here to help. Can you hear me, Draco?”

He nodded vigorously, choked out, “Yes.”

“Okay. Now I need you to breathe, okay? Can you try to follow my breathing?”

“Y-yes,” Draco choked again, glancing side to side.

“We’re alone, Draco,” Hermione soothed, rubbing his arm. “Nobody can see you.  Focus on your breathes, that’s more important.” He nods again. “In… and out… In… out… there you go. Take you time, Draco, it’s okay. In and out, slow breathes…”

His breathing became slower as he followed hers, Hermione kept rubbing his chest, brining his awareness there instead of where his thoughts had taken him, and also trying to loosen the tension there.

“I-I-“

“Shh… You don’t have to talk. Tell me after. Just breathe, Draco. Breathe…”

He leant his head back against her shoulder, letting his eyes fall shut. His breathing slowly became deeper and less strained. She ran a gentle hand through his hair, some of which had become plastered to his face by sweat.

“You can tell me what happened, when and _if_ you’re ready, Draco. And you don’t have to,” Hermione reminded him.

He opened his eyes and stared straight ahead. “Boggarts.”

Hermione’s eyes widened. “Shoot, Draco, is that today?”

He nodded against her shoulder. “Yeah…” He still sounded worn out. “That’s what had me going so bad. I don’t want anyone to know… but they will if they don’t already.”

Puzzled, Hermione tilted her head. “What do you mean ‘ _If they don’t already?’_ ”

He swallowed thickly. “I had a bad night a few nights ago. I spent a lot of the night on the bathroom floor, trying to avoid everyone. But I swear, Hermione… someone came in. And whoever it was… they saw me during a hard night. They might spread it, if they haven’t already started.”

Hermione sighed. “It was Ron, Draco.”

“What?”

“It was Ron. He was doing his prefect duties that night and saw the door open. He went in and he... well, he saw you crying. He didn’t know what was wrong, but he didn’t want you to know that he was there, and that he saw you. But when he left, he cast a locking charm on the door so no one could go in until you came out, and a silencing charm so no one could hear you. He wanted to give you some privacy, Draco, that’s all.”

“So, no one else knows…?”

“Nope. He came back and told Harry and I, but he seemed sad. He clearly didn’t want it getting around, but he was so confused about seeing you like that and started questioning everything so-“

“So, you and Harry told him everything?”

Hermione cringed. “Yes. We did. I’m sorry that it wasn’t on your terms. But Harry couldn’t keep you guys a secret from him much longer, he felt so awful lying to Ron.”

“I get it,” Draco said, now sitting up. “How did Ron take it?” Although he felt he already knew, the exchanged smiles flashing in his mind.

“Ron was… surprised,” she admitted. “But supportive. And he wanted to join in with what Harry and I have been doing. He’s here for you too, Draco. He wanted to help. He thinks that it’s not fair for you to have to go through this.”

Draco nodded, then was silent for a moment. “What about the boggart, Hermione? I don’t know what to do.”

“Simple,” she stated. “You do what we all do, cast the counter spell, _Ridikulus._ And if you can’t, then one of us will. We won’t hang you out to dry. Friends don’t do that, you know.”

He smiled. “No, I suppose not. Thank you, Hermione.”

“No need to thank me Draco. And don’t worry about the potion, we don’t have to do it.”

Draco’s smile widened. “Okay.”

“Come on,” she said rising to her feet and holding out her hand to the Slytherin. “We should get going before everyone else does.”

He took her hand and stood, taking his things back from her, and then heading to their next class.

*

Defence Against the Dark Arts came far too quickly for any of the four’s liking. As the rest of the class filed in, Harry, Ron, Draco, and Hermione had already taken their seats. Draco kept his head down, focusing on keeping his breathing steady as Hermione had helped him do earlier. The trio gaze nervously flicked to the blond, as Hermione had filled them in at lunch about his fear of what was to come this class.

Snape strode silently to the front of the classroom, yanking up his sleeves and pushing his billowing cloak behind him. When he turned to face the class there was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, as if he were going to enjoy all to come next.

“As you are all well aware,” Snape drawled. “Boggarts are usually studied in your third year at Hogwarts, but I have decided to teach them again. I found your third-year professor to be, shall we say… less skilled of a teacher than others… That being said, you have all faced a boggart before, so we will head straight back into that. You will all face your boggart, cast the counter curse, and step aside for the next person. As you are all in sixth year, I expect you all to be able to reject the boggart with little difficulty.” The class stares at Snape in disdain. His eyes land on Draco, who can barely meet his eyes. “Let’s start with… Mr. Longbottom.”

Neville’s eyes widen and he stands, lamenting to the front of the room in front of the large wooden wardrobe. Snape opens the door and a smoky mass looms in front of Neville before it starts to morph. To no one’s surprise, the boggart once again turns into Snape, who stalked towards the Gryffindor. Much of the class’ eyes turned to Snape, who seemed rather amused, a large smirk plastered on his face.

After a moment of hesitation, Neville was able to cast the counter charm.  Snape himself didn’t change, however, he was now clothed in his Grandmother’s clothing, and carrying a putrid parasol. The class laughed; Snape scowled. Once Neville laughed at his boggart, it retreated to the wardrobe.

“Very funny, Mr. Longbottom. You’re next, Mr. Weasley.”

Ron bit his lip, knowing exactly what was about to pop out of that wardrobe – and he was right. As the giant spider appeared, Ron pushed his shoulders back and raised his want. He too was able to cast the counter charm. The spider then was unable to stand as its legs disappeared from under it.

Ron smirked, “Can’t do much harm, now, can ya?” Then he laughed, and the boggart disappeared into the wardrobe once more.

Snape sniggered quietly, shaking his head. Then his eyes turned back to Draco. “Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco nodded and stood, pushing his shoulders back as Ron had done, striding to the front of the room. He took a deep breath and nodded at Snape, who unlocked the wardrobe for the third time. Draco’s fear was so strong that the boggart took no time to change; out stepped Lucius Malfoy. The class gasped behind him, but Draco stood strong.

His father stepped towards him. “You are _failing_ , Draco. Don’t you understand?” Draco gulped, staring at this visage of his father. “You know exactly what will happen if you do not succeed. He will be angry with you, Draco. Very angry…”

Draco stepped back as the figure burst into a plume of smoke, then reappeared as Voldemort himself. Students behind him screamed. He stepped back again. “I know what you have been doing, Draco… trying to cut off that mark, I see!” The false Voldemort forced his arm up, revealed the scars to those around him. A few students gasped, one girl screamed. “It will do nothing!” He threw Draco to the ground where he bashed his head, then scrambled back a few feet. The class stared frozen, even Snape. “You know exactly what I will do if you fail me, Draco…”

“Please don’t hurt them!” Draco called. “Please! Don’t touch my family!”

Voldemort cackled. “You think I will listen to you?” His foot connected with Draco’s ribs, then he extended his wand towards the boy on the floor. “It won’t just be your family… no. Not just your mother and father… but your friends too… yes, I know about your little secrets. Harry Potter… no one saw that one coming – but of course, I’m already after him. Ms. Granger, too, I see. Mr. Weasley… Ms. Parkinson too, eh? Yes, I suppose…”

Draco scrambled back further, and Voldemort followed. He was too weak to stand, he was shaking. “No, please! Please don’t hurt them!”

“I will make you watch, just like I told you when your father made you take my mark!” Voldemort snarled. “You did not want to join me… so you will fail. You may as well continue slicing your wrists open, night after night. Jump off that tower like you think about… No matter which way you turn it, Draco…”

Draco starts sobbing, not even able to raise his wand. “No! Please!”

Voldemort continues to follow him deeper into the room, past a few frozen students. He raises his wand. “You _will_ feel pain.”

Draco sobs harder, “Help! Please!”

“You _will_ fail.”

He gasps for air. “I-“

“You _will_ watch them suffer. Watch them _die._ ”

“Harry!” Draco sobs, choking. “Hermione!”

“And then you will die too. And if you can’t do it first… then _I will_ be the one to do it.”

“No!” Draco stammers. “No, no, please. Don’t-“

Voldemort raised his wand. “Cruc-“

“RIDIKULUS!” Hermione bellowed, stepping in front of Draco. The boggart turned into a giant paper with an _F_ scribbled on it. Then it turned into a paper with an _A,_ and vanishes.

While Hermione banished the boggart, Harry and Ron rushed to Draco’s side. Draco’s sobs were heart-wrenching and loud, a sound no one had even thought possible of such a seemingly cocky Slytherin. Harry kneeled in front of him and pulled the sobbing boy into his arms. One hand rubbed his back, the other hand went to his head, combing through his hair. Draco buried his face in Harry’s neck, completely hysterical.

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, Draco… he’s gone.” Harry clutched the blond tighter, rocking him back and forth. “Hermione got rid of him baby, it’s okay. You’re safe, Draco. You’re safe… he wasn’t real… he’s not real…”

“He _is_ real, Harry! He’s _real_!” Draco screeched. “He’s-s out there. He’s done that to me! What he said was true! And w-what-t he-e said about the… the p-punishment… that was true t-too!”

“Oh, _Merlin,_ ” Ron gasped, kneeling down next to him. He places his hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Breathe, mate. You gotta breathe.”

Hermione rushed back to her friends, standing overtop of them. Many students stared at her as she glanced around. Then suddenly, everything seemed to register, and the entire class rushed forward, surrounding Draco. Rounds of apologies and sympathetic words shot at the panicking Slytherin on the floor. The attention only made it worse.

“They weren’t supposed to know, Harry!” Draco cried. “ _No one_ was supposed to know! Not about my scars, or the mark, or us, or – or _him!_ ”

“I know, Draco… I know.” Harry soothed. He kissed his temple, earning quite a few questioning stares, and a few amused ones.

Snape pried his way through the crowd of students, eventually making it to the trio, and helping Hermione push them away from her friends. Once Snape had them under control, Hermione knelt down too. “Draco, we won’t let any of that happen okay? We are all safe, you’re safe… we will make sure of it.”

Draco nods against Harry, letting out a shuddering breath. He was still shaking. Harry sighs sadly. “I’ve got you, Draco… I’ve got you.”

“We all do, mate,” Ron added. Hermione agreed.

Pansy broke free from the crowd of students and rushed over to the group, tears streaming down her face. Blaise followed her, standing idly behind her. “I… I know we don’t-t always get along,” she stammered. “But can I join? I want to help you guys… He’s my friend.”

“Of course, Pansy,” Hermione agreed. “Fresh start, yeah?” She looked up at Blaise as well, with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah,” she choked tearfully. Blaise nodded.

“I’m with you too, Draco,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happened. Since day 1, yeah?”

He nods against Harry. “Yeah.”

She kisses his hair, then sits on the floor beside him.

Vaguely, the group is aware of Snape letting the rest of the class go early. He saunters over after shutting the door, crouching next to the group of teens. He hooks two fingers under Draco’s chin, which is now propped on Harry’s shoulder, with his eyes closed. He opens them and stares up at his Head of House. “Is all of this true, Draco?”

“Yes,” he croaks. “I thought you knew about my task, sir.”

“That’s all I knew about, Draco. Not the rest of it,” Snape says softly, the nicest any of them had ever heard him speak. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you.”

Draco shook his head. “Not your fault. Not anyone’s but mine, sir. I wasn’t letting anybody in.”

“Except for… this curious lot, I see,” Snape mused. “Thank you, Mr. Potter, I see you’ve had a great affect on Draco. You too, Ms. Granger… Mr. Weasley.”

“We couldn’t bear to see him go through this, sir,” Hermione admits.

“I can see that,” Snape states plainly. “I hope you all can continue to… including you as well, Ms. Parkinson. Mr. Zabini.” They all nod, including Pansy. “As for you, Mr. Malfoy, I apologize for putting you through that, I suppose, in a way, for a _second_ time. I hope you feel better soon, but it seems you’re in good hands.”

Draco wipes his eyes for a final time, sniffing slightly. “I think so too, Professor. Sorry for disrupting your class.”

Snape pauses, as if this thought just occurred to him. “In the present circumstances, I’ll disregard it. Do not worry.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Snape nods. “However, I will have to notify Dumbledore of this development.  Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Zabini, I have to request you return to your normal schedule. You will see Draco at dinner. As you do not know the entire situation, you will not be attending the meeting.” He turned to Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. “You four, however, will be coming with me.” The group looked at each other warily, Draco with tired eyes. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, please leave your thoughts on this chapter, I absolutely LOVE hearing what you guys have to say. Also, today I have something else to ask you guys! I have plans for a new Drarry fic, and I'd like your thoughts. Here's the idea:  
> Lucius has been abusing Draco for most of his life. When Harry finds out he becomes very protective, and his friendship with Draco slowly develops, eventually turning into romance. Hermione, Ron, and Pansy also get closer with each other and new relationships/friendships develop. But when Harry finds Lucius beating Draco senseless in Hogsmeade, things get more serious. After a few more developments a decision is made. The group is sent to live with Hermione's Canadian cousins and attend a muggle high school there where they can't be tracked, practicing their magic on the side. This story will have an alternate timeline and take place in the present day. This story has a rough plan already finished and drafts in the works. If there's an interest, I will start posting it soon. Anyone up for reading this story? Let me know!  
> Until next time, everyone! - Emma :)


	9. Happiness Can Be Found, Even in the Darkest of Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the incident with the boggart, the group proceeds to have a meeting with Dumbledore. Or... meetings.

Snape ushered the group out of his classroom, striding along a few paces behind them as they headed for Dumbledore’s office. The empty hallways echoed as they passed through, curious students peeking through doorways at the odd group. Inquisitive eyes spied on them all the way to the gargoyle, where they disappeared.

Harry held Draco’s hand as they ascended, while Ron rested his hand on the blond’s back. Hermione knocked twice, to which Dumbledore answered, “Enter.” She led the way inside, followed by the two boys, then Snape. Dumbledore glanced up, eyebrows practically shooting into his hairline. “Hello, Severus. Can I help you?”

“It is not I who needs help, Albus,” Snape stated. “There was an incident just now in my Defence Against the Dark Arts class involving Mr. Malfoy and a boggart. Now, thankfully Ms. Granger had enough sense to banish it herself when he couldn’t or it may have been much worse.”

Dumbledore’s eyes turned to Draco. He took in his mussed hair, stooped posture, and avoidant, tired, red eyes. His gaze softened. “Draco?”

Draco didn’t look up. “Yes, sir?”

“What was your boggart?”

He still didn’t look up. “My father. And… Voldemort.”

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, taking in the unlikely group. He spotted Harry’s grip on the Slytherin’s hand and raised an eyebrow. Then Ron’s hand on Draco’s back caused him to raise the other. Hermione’s worried glance was the last straw. “This, to me, seems a mismatched group to be together considering your past history. Would someone like to enlighten me on exactly what happened today?”

Silver eyes looked up. “I couldn’t face it.”

“What do you mean, Draco?” Dumbledore queried.

“Reality. The boggart.”

“But Draco,” Dumbledore scowled. “You must know that boggarts aren’t real.”

“Sir, this one’s different… it showed the past. But told me about the future.”

“Good heavens, Draco. What do you mean? What’s been going on?”

Draco gulped. “It’s a long story.”

Dumbledore sat back once again. “Go ahead.”

Draco glanced at Harry, who needed, giving his hand a squeeze. Ron and Hermione squeezed his shoulder, encouraging him to continue. He took a shuddering breath, his eyes fluttering shut. “My father forced me to become a Death Eater.” He looked up at Dumbledore. “Voldemort threatened me, and gave me a task. And if I don’t complete it,” he paused, voice wavering. Harry stroked his thumb over Draco’s. “If I don’t complete it, just like the boggart repeated… he’ll torture my family. Torture my friends. Kill them all, them kill me. Of course, not until after he uses crucio on me again, torture me more.”

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but at first no words came. His eyes flit back and forth across his desk, before he said, “He used an unforgivable on you?”

Draco nodded, eyes brimming with tears. He forced them back. “He’s got a lot of way to make you do what he wants.”

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. “What is your task, Draco?”

Draco had to force the words out, but he couldn’t until he dropped the headmaster’s gaze. “To kill you.” Dumbledore remained silent, so he continued. “And I have to mend the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement, in order to let the Death Eaters into the school.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“This has taken quite the toll on you, I see,” Dumbledore said after a moment. Draco nodded. “Is this why Harry, Ron, and Hermione are involved?”

“Yes, sir,” Draco agreed. “They’ve been helping me.”

“How so?”

“Do I really have to go into all this, sir? It’s personal,” Draco squirmed.

“I’m afraid so. But, if you’d prefer, I can talk to you each separately.”

Draco glanced around at his friends. Hermione nodded at him. “That would be great, sir. Thank you,” she said.

He nodded. “Alright. I’d like to speak to Ron first then.”

Ron blinked. “Er, alright.” He stepped forward, following Dumbledore as he stood and waved Ron back into another area of his office. He motioned for Ron to take a seat. “Why did you want to speak to me first, sir?”

Dumbledore smiled. “I have a suspicion that Draco is not well.”

Ron bit his lip. “He’s not.”

“As I figured,” Dumbledore sighed. “I also suspect that you do not know as much as neither Harry nor Hermione.”

“You’d be correct by assuming that,” Ron agreed.

“Have you had much interaction with Draco since you found out? Was that recent?”

‘Very recent,” said Ron. “I found him crying by himself in the bathroom while I was doing rounds. I left him alone – I was confused, you see. I didn’t understand. When I got back to my dorm, I told Harry and Hermione, and they told me everything. Then, I tried to help Harry calm him down earlier, when he panicked in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that’s all. Honestly sir, I’m not much help. You should focus more on what Harry and Hermione have to say.”

“Thank you, Mr. Weasley. Can you send Ms. Granger back here please?” Ron nodded, and returned to his friends. Soon a bushy head of hair appeared before him. “Hello, Hermione.”

“Hello, sir,” she smiled.

“I hear you’ve been quite involved with Draco?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir. He’s not doing well.”

“That’s what I gathered from Mr. Weasley,” he rubbed his brow. “What can you tell me about Draco?”

Hermione dropped her gaze. “It’s horrible.”

“Horrible how, Ms. Granger? If we’re going to help Draco, I need to know as much information as you can give me.”

Hermione glanced up through her lashes. “He’s completely covered in scars, sir.”

“From Lucius? Voldemort?”

Hermione shook her head, a few tears escaping her eyes. She swiped at her cheeks. “They’re from himself, sir.”

Dumbledore straightened up. “Draco’s been self-harming?”

She nodded. “He tried to cut the mark off, then continued to cut his other arm and his thighs…”

Dumbledore shut his eyes, massaging his temples. “How did you find this out?”

“I woke up early one morning, intending to study in the common room, when I saw Harry and Draco curled up on the couch. They were both asleep, and when Draco moved, his sleeve shifted. That’s the first I saw them. Then I ran into him kind of panicking while doing rounds, and I spoke to him about them then. He showed me both arms, and told me about the ones on his legs. I believe that Harry also found him doing it in the bathroom one night.”

Dumbledore muttered something to himself under his breath, then spoke to Hermione. “Have you had any other major interactions with him that are directly linked to this?”

She nodded. “Just this morning. We knew about the boggarts before class today, and Draco started to panic in first period potions. Most of the class was asleep, but he wasn’t, and he got up and left. I spoke to Professor Slughorn and he let me go as well. I found him in the hall having a bad panic attack. It took me a while to calm him down.”

“Is that all?”

“All that I can remember, sir. Honestly.”

“Thank you, Hermione. You may go,” he said, bowing his head.

She turned to leave, the whirled back around. “Oh, there is something else you should know!”

“And what’s that?”

Hermione lowered her voice. “When the boggart spoke to him, it said some nasty, terrifying things. But it also exposed this issue with his mental health to the entire class.”

Dumbledore took a deep breath. “Okay, is that all?”

She shook her head. “It told him that he should keep slicing his wrists. And that he should kill himself like he wants to… now that’s coming straight from the boggart. I think he’s scared of himself, sir – and what he might do. It said if he doesn’t do it, then Voldemort will do it anyways.”

Dumbledore’s lips formed an O, then he pursed his lips. “Thank you, Hermione. That _is_ important to know.” He looked up at her again and nodded. “You may go. Send Harry in for me please.”

“Of course. Thank you, sir.” She bobbed away, bushy hair bouncing.

Soon enough, Harry’s green eyes met Dumbledore’s. The boy rubbed his arm as he approached, “Hello, sir.”

“Hello, Harry. Have a seat.”

“Sir, I’m not sure there’s much more I can tell you that Ron and Hermione haven’t already,” Harry stammered.

“Why so nervous, Harry? You’re not in trouble,” Dumbledore chuckled.

“No, no, I just-“

“You didn’t want me to find out about yourself and Mr. Malfoy?” Dumbledore smirked.

Wide eyed, Harry stared at Dumbledore, before nodding. “Yeah…”

He chuckled. “Ah, Harry… You could have just told me.”

“How was I supposed to explain that one!” Harry exclaimed, throwing his arms out. “ _Hey, Sir. I just thought I’d let you know that I’m now dating my rival since Day 1, and oh by the way he’s been cutting himself for months and is scared sick by this task he has_?”

Dumbledore quirked his head. “Are you quite done, Harry?”

Harry looked down and nodded, feeling heat creep up his neck. “Yes. Sorry, sir.”

“That’s quite alright, Harry. Now tell me… what’s gone on with Draco?”

Harry sighed. “Too much. I assume Hermione’s already told you about the scars and everything?”

He nodded. “She also mentioned that you found him doing it?”

Harry gnawed at his bottom lip. “I did. I walked in and found him sitting in a stall. There was a pool of blood on the floor, and it was all over his wrists and a knife. He was practically hysterical…”

Dumbledore set his tongue between his lips, before drawing it back and biting his lip. It seemed to be a tell for the headmaster when he was contemplating something particularly troubling. “Was this the only time you found him in this state?”

“All bloody? Yes. But upset, no. The first time was in the same spot, he was crying and I cornered him, it seemed like he was going to fight me, but he just sank to the floor. We talked a lot that night.” Harry blushed, remembering what else had happened. “He also sought me out during the night. He gets a lot of nightmares, they’re cyclical, like mine. And them after the boggart incident just today, he was in hysterics.”  

“Harry, when did you first find out?” Harry cast his eyes down. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner? How long were you going to wait?”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s Draco you should be apologizing to. You’ve been there for him, which is fantastic. But you should have come to me, Harry.”

“I was trying to figure out how to help him,” Harry cried. “I just couldn’t figure out how! It’s so complicated, and I didn’t want to make it worse for him. I promised I’d help. I’d keep him safe… but I can’t do it on my own. I need help…”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“I really am sorry, sir.”

“Don’t be upset, Harry. I am not angry with you. And I do appreciate your honesty,” Dumbledore says softly. “Do not worry. We will get this under control. You have my word.”

“Thank you, sir,” Harry whispered, looking down.

“Thank _you_ , Harry. For helping out someone in need. And, I suppose, you found love in the process.” Harry looked up at him with a smile. “What did I tell you, Harry? _Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”_

*

Another half an hour passed before the group was let go. It was decided that to avoid snide remarks from other Slytherins, Draco would temporarily spend his nights with the Gryffindor boys. Dumbledore would also be checking in with Draco sporadically to keep an eye on him. He would discuss a plan with the Heads of House and would let the group know soon. Draco was not to go home for any reason until then.

The group headed for dinner as soon as they were let go. Harry held his boyfriend’s hand tightly, figuring here’s no use in hiding it anymore. He was sure the news had all spread by now anyways. This suspicion was proven right when they arrived at the Great Hall. A great deal of the chatter settled down the mere whispers as the group walked in, gawking at the couple and the worn out blond in the middle of them all.

“Draco!’ Their attention all turned to the Slytherin table as a dark haired girl dashed over and threw herself at him.

“Hi, Pansy,” he smiled.

“Are you okay?” She asked, worry etched into the lines of her face.

He nodded. “I am now.”

Another figure embraced the blond. “Good to see you’re okay, you had us worried.”

“I’m okay, Blaise, really. Dumbledore’s involved now. He’s going to help me.”

Blaise smiled, as did Pansy. “I’m so sorry we weren’t there for you, Draco. We had no idea.”

Draco’s eyes flit down, then returned to hers. “It’s not your fault. I never told you.”

“We still feel _awful_ ,” Blaise insisted. “We should’ve seen the signs.”

“It’s okay, really. I’m not mad at you guys or anything.”

“Okay,” Pansy sighed. “Can we talk at some point? Fill us in on, well,” her eyes moved to Harry, then Ron and Hermione, and back to Draco, “everything?”

“Do you want to come sit with us?” Hermione piped up.

“Yeah,” Harry interjected. “I’m sure we could all help out and fill you in on what we know. If that’s okay with you, Draco?”

The blond smiled. “It’s more than okay.”

“Alright then,” said Ron with a smile. “Lead the way then.”

Draco smiled again, turning to his friends, new and old. “Thank you. Thanks to _all_ of you.”

_You don’t know how much this truly means to me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed another chapter! I wanted to give some special mentions this time to @ThreeBs and @Jewfish7 ! Thank you both for your continual support of this story and your feedback! As always, feedback, thoughts, or anything constructive really is always welcome here, so feel free to comment. Also, I'm so sorry about some of the errors in previous chapters. I realize there's some typos and unintentional tense errors, but I don't know how to edit chapters once they're already posted. Help? :)  
> On another note, the new story that I asked about in the last chapter is a go! The first chapter has been posted on my account under the title "Unmasked." Give it a read if you're up for it!   
> Until next time guys, thanks for reading! - Emma :)


	10. A Midnight... Toil?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco has been struggling with nightmares, and although he is sometimes able to suppress his outward reactions, other times he is not so lucky. But is it lucky or not that he's surrounded by a bunch of Gryffindors? 
> 
> Featuring a surprise visit from a flustered Hermione. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

The next days passed without much incident. Much to the group’s pleasure, Draco was mostly left alone by the other students. They stayed out of his way and he stayed out of theirs, walking to class with his head down, clutching his books to his chest. He made bee-lines to every class, throwing his small frame through the small spaces between groups of students. The trio, Pansy and Blaise, as well as the Gryffindor boys walked with him when they could catch him. Even Ginny and Luna joined in a couple of times. This was mainly to protect Draco from the stares and discourage unwelcomed conversations, but Draco couldn’t much deny that he enjoyed everyone’s company. It was nice to have people by his side for real, not just yes-men like Crabbe and Goyle. The two boys hadn’t even spoken to him since the incident with the boggart. 

 

The Slytherin had been sleeping on an extra mattress on the floor of the boy’s dormitory for about a week now. The nights had passed slightly awkwardly at first, what with Neville, Dean, and Seamus not knowing Draco that well. However, as time went on, the blond seemed to grow on them. He was mostly quiet, sprawled on his blankets reading a book or scribbling down the answers to his potions homework -- he didn’t talk much at all. Nor did he eat very much. Harry started bringing the boy extra food in the evenings, followed by Ron, and soon the other boys followed suit. They’d all seen how skinny he’d become. 

 

Draco had also quit hiding his scars. When he walked around the dormitory the other boys had seen the thin red slashes that laced his arms like corsets. Still, they said nothing. On a few particularly tough days (if Harry and Ron weren’t there), they’d walk over to where the boy sat curled up and would squeeze his shoulder -- “Hang in there, mate.”

 

Harry enjoyed spending more time with his boyfriend. Draco ate with the trio, as did Blaise and Pansy, as of late. The couple didn’t have to hide in the shadows anymore, they were no longer fearful. They could hold hands in the hallways, exchange kisses at the table… they both smiled just thinking about it.  

 

However, although all was peaceful externally, all was not well. There was still a war inside the Slytherin prefect’s head -- especially at night. NIghtmares raged in his brain in cycles of torture. He had learned to suppress them, to not cry out or scream or thrash… but like anything, his abilities ween’t 100%. There were still nights that he struggled to keep quiet, cupping his hands over his mouth or burying his head in his pillow to muffle the sobs. He knew the other boys heard him, knew sometimes they’d even seen him… but none of them said a single word to him about it the next day. No one asked about it. 

 

Harry would sometimes wake and coax his hands away from his face, swiping the tears that rolled down his temples away with his thumb. Sometimes Ron would check on him and sit for a moment in silence, other times he’d kneel next to him and just talk about nothing until the other boy calmed down. Draco appreciated it, all of it. He just desperately wished that the torturous dreams would stop. 

 

But they didn’t come to an end -- at least not on that particularly bad night. Draco had been expecting them, had dreaded going to bed. He’d been quiet and on edge all day, barely spoken, barely ate, barely even acknowledged anyone… 

 

After he slipped under his blankets that night, the blond fought to keep his eyes open. The other boys were already asleep, or so he thought. A pair of eyes nearby watched him carefully through the slit in his curtains, eyeing the boy with pursed lips as he fought his eyelids. Eventually they became too heavy, and the moonlight glinting off Draco’s silver eyes disappeared. 

 

Neville continued to watch him for a few moments, then pulled his curtains completely shut. He didn’t sleep though, he didn’t even close his eyes. His mind whirled with images of the Slytherin from the past few days. Something was amiss, and he figured sleep would not come easily for the blond, but would instead be disrupted by nightmares. 

 

He was right. 

 

Around one in the morning, a muffled yelp reached Neville’s ears. He froze, ears alert and tuned in. Another yelp, followed by mumbling. The gryffindor drew open his curtains and gazed around the room, quickly realizing that Harry’s curtains were slightly open, and he was not in his bed.  _ Probably couldn’t sleep,  _ thought Neville. 

 

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and waited, eyes fixed on the trembling bundle of blankets. He could hear the boy’s ragged breathes becoming faster, perforated by calls for help and begging for someone to stop. 

 

“Leave him alone,” Draco cried. “Please-” He screamed this time, his whole body flinching. Nearby, Ron yanked open his curtains, wide green eyes staring at the blond. 

 

Neville caught his eye, to which Ron just bit his lip, returning his gaze to the Slytherin on the floor. Remembering the scene with the boggart, Neville shivered, hoping Draco wasn’t reliving anything horrific. 

 

Draco’s breathing picked up to where he was almost hyperventilating, and Neville slipped out of bed. The boy screamed again and winced. Another curtain slid open, revealing Dean. Neville continued to pad across the floor towards the blond, kneeling quietly at his side. He placed his hand on his shoulder, “Draco.”

 

The boy yelped, ripping himself away from Neville’s touch. Neville tried again, “Wake up, Draco. It’s just me -- it’s Neville.” Again, Draco flinched away, this time lashing out with his other hand. Reflexively, Neville grabbed it to avoid being smacked in the face. 

 

“No,” Draco screamed, lashing out with his other hand. “Don’t touch me. I promise I’ll obey… No!” Neville retracted himself and leaned back on his haunches, watching the blond. Draco thrashed a bit more, seemingly trying to avoid something. “No! I’m sorry, I’m-- please!” A sob tore from his throat and he threw his hands up in front of his face. “Don’t touch them! Don’t--” A guttural scream ripped from his body, echoing off the walls of the small dormitory. Draco thrashed and then seized, not pausing his screaming to breathe. 

 

Ron jumped off his bed, followed by Dean and Seamus (who was now awake), who joined Neville on the floor. “What’s happening to him?” Ron asked. 

 

Neville gulped. “He’s remembering being tortured…” 

 

Dean and Seamus’ eyes widened, whilst Ron’s face fell. “What can we do?”

 

Neville shrugged. “Whatever we can. He’ll have to wake up on his own, probably.” 

 

Draco’s ragged breathing returned, and Neville took a hold on his shoulders, knowing it would soon start again. Within thirty seconds it did, and the screaming began all over. Draco’s face contorted and he howled, trying to thrash and roll around. Neville held his torso down from the side so he wouldn’t hurt himself, while Ron held the boy’s legs down. Neville repeatedly called the blond’s name, to no avail. 

 

Suddenly his eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright, still emitting shorter screams, his vision not registering the boys surrounding him. He panted and gasped, desperately trying to draw enough air into his lungs. Quickly, the figure of a dark haired boy appeared in his periphery, and his brain finally registered the hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Neville kneeling there along with the other boys, but his groggy consciousness didn’t quite understand that he wasn’t in danger. 

 

Draco broke down in sobs, letting his head fall. He let himself be drawn to Neville, who wrapped his arms around him. Neville sat on the edge of the blond’s mattress for quite a while holding Draco, while Ron clambered up to sit on his other side. He placed a hand on his back, rubbing gentle circles. “You’re safe here with us, mate,” Ron whispered. 

 

Seamus sat in front of Draco on the ground, hugging his knees. “No one’s here to hurt you, I swear.”

 

“It’s not real,” Dean added as he joined Seamus on the floor. “ _ None _ of that was real.” 

 

“Breathe,” Neville whispered as Draco’s sobs quieted to hiccoughs. “You’ve got to breathe.” 

 

The boys were quiet for quite some time. Neville kept his arms wrapped firmly around Draco while Ron kept his hand on his back; Dean and Seamus sat quietly on the floor, picking at the carpet. 

 

“They… They used crucio on me,” Draco croaked. “I-I’m sorry for lashing out.”

 

“Don’t be,” said Dean. 

 

Draco peaked up from Neville’s shoulder, resting the side of his head on the edge to look at the boy on the floor. “Why not?” 

 

“Because you were  _ tortured _ ,” Neville whispered.

 

Draco sat up out of Neville’s grip and glanced at him curiously. “You knew before I said anything, didn’t you?” 

 

Neville nodded solemnly, staring at the mattress. “I know what crucio screams sound like…”  he looked up at Draco. “And that’s exactly what  _ you _ sounded like.”

 

“I’m sorry, Neville,” Draco whispered. “Your-”

 

“Parents? Yeah. Don’t be… Wasn‘t  _ your  _ fault.”

 

Draco sighed. “I didn’t mean to wake you all up.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, mate. You couldn’t help it,” Ron reassured.    
  


“I know,” Draco started. “I just feel bad. I knew they were going to happen and I just can’t stop them from happening!” He paused for a moment, playing with his fingers. “Those ones are the worst… when I  _ relive  _ something, you know? I’ve been through it once and I sure as hell don’t want to live it again… It was horrible enough the first time.” 

 

“Have you tried Dreamless Sleep potions, mate?” Seamus voiced.

 

Draco nodded, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on top. “They’re hit and miss. Sometimes they work, sometimes not.”

 

Ron frowned. “Is there nothing else you can try?”

 

The blond shrugged. “Not to my knowledge.” 

 

“What about a draught of peace?” Neville asks. 

 

“Still no,” Draco sighs. “Not good for nightmares.” 

 

“More like night  _ terrors, _ ” Dean says. 

 

“They’re not the same,” Seamus pipes up. “At least in the muggle world. Night terrors usually happen to young kids and they can’t wake up sometimes, even when their parents try to wake them.” 

 

Draco blanks, then shudders. “ _ Merlin…  _ I don’t even want to think about not being able to wake up from  _ that. _ ”

 

Seamus chuckles. “It’s not common in kids our age.”

 

“You’re right, Seamus. Being tortured by Voldemort is  _ definitely  _ a normal teen thing.” Draco eyes him sternly, then cracks a grin. Seamus bursts out laughing, and then the rest of them crack up. 

 

“Is everything alright in there?” A girl’s voice calls. Hermione. 

 

The boys gasp, a couple of them stifling their laughter with their hands. “Yeah,” Ron replies, “we’re fine, ‘Mione!”

 

“Then shut it!”

 

The rest of the boys call back. “Sorry!”

 

She comes closer to the door. “Don’t yell back you numptees! Go to bed!”

 

“Sorry,” Ron calls again, chuckling as he heads toward her.. 

 

“Ronald, so help me! Unlike you, some of us are trying to sleep!”

 

He grins. “What’re you gunna do about it?”

 

“Don’t make me give you a detention.” 

 

“I’m a prefect!” Ron exclaims. “You can’t give me a detention!”

 

The rest of the boys can hear her starting to walk away. “Watch me.” 

 

Ron rolls his eyes, picking a ball of parchment up off of the ground. He crumples it up more and tosses it out the doorway. As quickly as it disappeared, it flew back into the room, smacking against the wall, and causing Ron to duck. When he stood up he stared at the wall for a second, and then a smile spread across his face. He shook his head, returning to his previous spot. “She’s nutters.” 

 

“She’s nutters,” muttered Draco, under his breath.

 

“What was that?” Ron turned to him with a raised brow. Draco smirked and shrugged. Ron mocked Hermione, “Don’t make me give you detention!”

 

Draco deadpanned. “I’m a prefect. You can’t give me detention.” 

 

All of the boys cracked up, including Draco, just as Harry walked through the door, a curious look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak as a roar came from all of the girl’s in their dormitory. “SHUT IT!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright alright, so I know this wasn't the best chapter... I really struggled with this one. But I hope that you all honestly enjoyed it anyways! As always, leave your thoughts and feedback, they're always appreciated. Until next time guys!
> 
> \- Emma :)


	11. Fancy Quills and Stolen Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Hogsmeade weekend once again, and the trio head out for some fun. Ending up in the Three Broomsticks with some butterbeer, Draco doesn't expect Harry to be so sneaky.

Around seven am Harry’s eyes popped open. The beds were fuzzy in the sunlit room, and he blinked his eyes until they became just his normal without-glasses blur. Scrabbling for them beside his bed, he quickly realized that he was not in his bed, but on the floor. He rolled over on the small mattress into a spot where the warmth was receding. Draco was already up. 

 

Harry groaned and pushed himself up from the floor, rifling a hand through his bed-head as he crossed to his bed. Once his glasses were on he threw on a pair of blue jeans, a tee and a sweater, before stuffing his feet into socks and sneakers. After almost falling down the stairs he made it to the common room. 

 

Harry was the last one up, although it was still early. Hogsmeade weekends made everyone excited. He trapsed across the room to greet Hermione, who was twirling her hand with her wand while reading her transfiguration textbook. “Are you ever not studying ‘Mione?” 

 

She rolled her eyes before looking up. “Can’t you ever just say what everyone else would say? Like good morning, Hermione?” 

 

Someone snorted across the room. “The answer to both of your questions is no.” Another boy laughed. 

 

Harry turned to meet silver eyes and laughed. “Oh, shut it Draco.”  

 

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Neville sitting beside him. Harry turned back to a snickering Hermione. “You guys are cute,” she said.

 

Harry smirked. “I know.”

 

She shook her head. “What do you want to do at Hogsmeade today?”

 

“I’m too tired to think about that right now,” he chuckled. “I need food first.”

 

“Yeah, okay. I’m going to head down to breakfast with Ron in a minute,” she flicked her head backward to where the ginger was on the couch across fro Seamus. “Why don’t you figure out what Draco’s doing, then come join us?”

 

Harry nodded. “Sounds good. See you down there.” He turned on his heel and headed towards the table y the window where Draco sat with Neville. As Harry approached, he could see the two were pouring over a potions textbook. “I should be asking you the same question I asked Hermione,” Harry teased. 

 

The blond smiled up at him. “I’m helping Neville with potions. Would you like some too?” He winked. 

 

Harry grinned. “Nah, I think I’m okay. What are you doing at Hogsmeade later?”

 

He bit his lip. “Er, I think I’m just going ‘round with Pansy and Blaise. You?”

 

“I’m going with Ron and Hermione. Maybe we will meet up with you guys at some point?”

 

Draco smiled. “That would be fine with me.”

 

Harry smiled back. “Alright. I’m going to breakfast now, see you.”

 

“See you.”

 

Harry kissed Draco on the cheek before heading out the door. He sauntered his way to the Great Hall and plunked down in his usual spot beside Ron. “Goodmorning, Ron.”

 

“Mornin’.”

 

“Oh, so  _ he _ gets a good morning and  _ I  _ get a snarky comment?” Hermione laughed. 

 

Harry pursed his lips, trying not to smile. “Yes.”

 

Ron glanced around. “Did I miss something?”

 

The two Gryffindors cracked up, both nodding. “Yes… yes you did,” said Hermione. Ron glanced at his friends, brows raised. Hermione quickly recovered. “Don’t worry about it Ron.”

 

“Er, alright…” 

 

“Where do you guys want to head first today?” Harry piped up, chowing down on some eggs. 

 

“Zonkos!” 

 

“Ron,” chastised Hermione. “Isn’t that basically ‘cheating’ on Fred and George?”

 

The ginger laughed, crumbs falling out of his mouth. “Nah, they’ll never know.” 

 

“They’ll find out!” Harry teased, pulling a face. “Extendable ears?”

 

“They’re not that extendable!”

 

Harry and Hermione burst into laughter once again, with Ron joining in shortly after. Hermione wiped a tear from her eye. “C-could you im-imagine?” The two boys shook their heads, continuing to laugh. 

 

“W-why is this so funny? It’s- it’s not-” Ron couldn’t even finish his sentence, he was laughing too hard. The trio got weird stares from students surrounding them, however, most just shrugged and went on with their breakfast. 

 

Harry wiped juice off of his face from when he almost spit it out a moment before. “That wasn’t even that funny,” he chuckled. “What is  _ wrong _ with us?” 

 

Hermione shrugged. “Stress does a lot to a person, Harry.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

 

“Ready to head-out?” Ron asked, grinning.

 

“Oh, you’re finally done eating, are you?” Hermione teased. 

 

Ron rolled his eyes. “Is that a yes?” 

 

She nodded and stood, followed by both Harry and Ron. “Let’s head out.”

 

*

 

Unable to resist the urges of Hogsmeade, all three members of the trio emerged from their second-to-last stop, Honeydukes, with more than two bags. Harry with several chocolate frogs, a box of bertie-bots, some potions ingredients, some gags from Zonkos, and a new quill for Draco--as a surprise. Ron emerged with some gags from Zonkos, too many chocolate frogs and licorice wands, and a roll of parchment. Hermione exited with licorice wands and bertie-bots, a new quill and ink, some parchment, a jar of lacewing-flies, and a single gag from Zonko’s, which the boys didn’t know she bought. Loaded down with bags and feet aching, the three decided to stop at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. 

 

After they sat at a small table in the corner, they ordered their butterbeers and slouched back. Hermione redid her ponytail, the warmer weather starting to get to her hair. Ron slurped his butterbeer as soon as it arrived, to which she glanced up sharply. He stopped abruptly. Harry laughed. 

 

The door dinged as a group of three walked in. First Blaise, then Pansy, then Draco. They didn’t see the trio, but they saw them. Harry glanced at his friends. “I’m gunna buy their drinks.”

 

“That’s nice of you,” Hermione smiled. 

Ron rolled his eyes. “‘Cute couple stuff.’” Harry smacked Ron on the arm, to which he laughed. “I’m just kidding, mate. Kinda. Do it.”

 

Harry waved a waitress over to their corner. “Hi, uh, I’d like to buy three butterbeers for that table over there,” he pointed at the back of Draco’s white-blond head with one hand, handing the waitress his money with the other. 

 

She smiled, flipping her dark hair back over he shoulder. “Trying to impress the young lady?”

 

Harry froze, and Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron, putting his hand on Harry’s arm, took over for him instead. “Actually, the young blonde guy over there, miss.” Then he turned and winked at Harry. 

 

“Oh,” her eyes widened. “I’m so sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have assumed.” 

 

Harry nodded. “No worries. Erm, please don’t tell him who bought them. It’s, uh, a game we play.” 

 

She quirked her head with a confused smile, her nose wrinkling. “Sure. They’ll be out in a minute.” 

 

Sure enough, two minutes later a tray of three butterbeers arrived at the table. Harry smirked, starring over Ron’s shoulder. Blaise glanced up and their eyes met over their friends shoulders. Harry’s eyes widened, as Blaise raised his eyebrows. Harry put a finger to his lips, shaking his head. ‘He has to find me,’ he mouthed. Blaise nodded with a smirk. 

 

Harry slid out of his seat, reaching his hand out to Hermione. 

 

She gave him an incredulous look. “This is what you wanted me to bring your cloak for,” she asked, reaching into her purse. He nodded as the sleek fabric hit his hand. He slung it around him. “You’re ridiculous.”

 

Harry laughed. “No, I’m very smart.” He pulled the quill for Draco out of his bad and wrote his name on a napkin, it all seemingly floating before Harry placed it on the table. He backed up against the wall, giving his friends a sly thumbs up before pulling the cloak securely around him once again. No sooner did he do this then Draco came around the pillar by their table. 

 

“Alright, you two,” he rolled his eyes. “Where’s my smartass boyfriend? He’s not supposed to buy me anything and he knows it. His help has been enough,” he muttered the last part.

 

Ron shrugs with a poor poker face. “No idea, mate.” 

 

The blond looked to Hermione, eyes softer. “Please.”

She smiled at him. “I don’t know where Harry is, but he left you something.”

 

Draco spotted the quill and the napkin. He picked them both up.  _ For Draco. Don’t hate me. I know you like expensive things. After all, I  _ am  _ your boyfriend. Love, Harry.  _ Draco huffed, yet he was smiling. “If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a thousand times.” He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, however. 

 

He looked back at Hermione. “Please, Hermione.”

 

She bit her lip, thinking. Then she grinned, nodding her head to the left. Silver eyes followed her nod to the wall, then he looked back and forth. Suddenly, it clicked.  _ The cloak.  _

 

Draco strode over to where Harry was sniggering and pulled the cloak right off of his head, gripping it in his fist. “Really, Harry?”

 

“Come on, you loved it.”

 

Draco leaned right in to Harry’s ear, kissing his neck right underneath it. “I love your stubborn arse, I do. But sometimes you drive me up the bloody wall.” He kissed his neck again, then pulled away to look at him. 

 

Harry smirked, then grabbed Draco’s collar and pulled him in, pressing their lips together. It was quick, but passionate. Draco panted after Harry pulled away. “Harry-”

 

“You loved it.” 

 

He panted again. “Yeah,” he nodded. Draco glanced back at his friends, who were calling out to him and cheering. Hermione and Ron were dong the same. Hogwarts students around the room were smiling. Draco grinned. “Come on, get your friends. Come sit with us.” 

 

Harry smirked. “Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, school was hell. But, I've now graduated high school and I'll have a lot more time to write. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you guys think Hermione bought from Zonko's? Let me know your thoughts on that and the rest of the chapter in the comments. Once again, thanks for reading. Until next time, everyone! - Emma :)


	12. A Letter from Lucius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco receives a letter from Lucius, revealing what he is expected to do in the coming weeks.

Come to Me -- Chapter 12:

 

Monday morning arrived quickly, as did the students to the Great Hall, eager for breakfast. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table together, plates full of eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and toast. Harry downed first one, then two goblets of juice. He wiped his mouth, leaning in to Ron and Hermione. “Do you remember what we’re doing today in Potions?” 

 

Ron shook his head. “Not a clue.”

 

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Honestly, do you two ever pay attention?” 

 

“No.”

 

She pulled a face after they both answered. “Healing potions for specific wounds.”

 

“I was gunna say,” Harry laughed. “We’ve already done generic healing potions.” 

 

Ron’s eyes wandered to the sky, taking Harry’s gaze with them. A colourful flock of owls swooped into the hall carrying a variety of parcels, packages, and letters. A barn owl flew over their table, dropping a copy of the  _ Daily Prophet _ onto Hermione’s lap. She glanced over the cover, then flipped through the pages with her thumb. 

 

“Anything interesting?” Ron asked. 

 

Hermione shrugged nonchalantly. “Not really. Some junk by Rita Skeeter.”

 

“Any ministry nonsense?” Harry wondered.

 

Hermione huffed. “Yes. As always.” 

 

Harry rolled his eyes. “We better get going, or we’re going to be late for class.”

 

“Since when do you care about being late for class?” Ron teased. 

 

“It’s better than getting angry about the ministry’s propoganda.”

 

Ron tilted his head in agreement, standing from the table. “Let’s get going then.” 

 

*

 

After class the students bustled out of the dungeons, flooding the hallways with sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors. As they reached the upper floors, the sixth years mixed in with other students, many familiar faces becoming lost in the crowd. Harry navigated his way through with Ron and Hermione, chatting about the success (or lack of) of their potions. Harry and Ron had done well, although, maybe not as well as Hermione for once this year. She laughed as Harry admitted this, smiling to herself as she side-stepped a couple of Hufflepuff girls. 

 

At the other end of the hall, Draco walked with Pansy and Blaise. The three laughed about Pansy’s nearly-exploding healing potion. Draco pointed out, snarkily (as Pansy pointed out), that that would have been majorly counterintuitive. Blaise only laughed some more. 

 

A sandy-blonde head bobbed around the corner towards the three Slytherins. “Draco!” He waved a long white envelope over his head. “Draco!”

 

Draco’s head snapped up. Although more people used his first name now than before, he still wasn’t used to it. His eyes focused on the young Slytherin with the letter and he narrowed his eyes as he approached himself and his friends. “What’s that you’ve got, Harvey?”

 

Harvey grinned, holding the envelope out to Draco. “An owl dropped this off for you this morning. I guess you didn’t see it as you were leaving.” Draco eyed him skeptically, taking the envelope gently from the boy’s hand. “Don’t worry, I didn’t open it.”

 

The prefect nodded, clutching the paper to his chest with one arm. “Thank you, Harvey.”

 

“No problem! Bye!”

 

Silver eyes watched him leave, curiosity present there. When he turned back to his friends, they were eyeing him. “What’re you thinking, Draco?” Pansy asked. 

 

He shook his head to rid himself of the train of thought. “Just wondering how Harvey didn’t end up in Hufflepuff. Such a nice kid.” 

 

Blaise raised his eyebrows. “So all Slytherins are assholes?”

 

“No! I just—we don’t have the best reputation. Everyone knows that.” 

 

“I guess,” Blaise digressed. “So what’s that?”

 

Draco returned his gaze to the envelope with narrowed eyes. “If I had to guess… nothing good.”

 

“Are you going to open it?” Pansy asked quietly. 

 

The blonde nodded. He dug his fingernail into the envelope, dragging it along the seam and gingerly pulling out a piece of parchment. He gulped, “It’s from my father.”

 

Pansy and Blaise eyed each other, then watched as Draco’s eyes started to scan the lines of neat script. His eyes widened the more he read. When Pansy noticed his fingers shaking, she stepped towards him, placing her hand gently on his arm. She turned to Blaise, and saw in his eyes that they both knew were this is going. He raised his brows, asking for confirmation on what they were both thinking. Pansy nodded, mouthing, ‘Go get Harry.’ She nodded her head to the other end of the hall, then turned her attention back to Draco. 

Blaise pushed his way through the crowd, searching for anyone that could have any idea where Harry was. His dark eyes roamed the passing faces, growing more anxious by the minute. Then, behind a blond Ravenclaw, he spited a head of red hair.  _ Ron?  _ It was. He slid between a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin. A bushy head of hair appeared ahead.  _ Hermione?  _ “Harry?” Blaise called. He pushed past a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. “Harry?”

 

Green eyes focused on him, alarmed at Blaise’s wide eyes and creased forehead. “Blaise? What’s wrong?”

 

“I need you to come with me. All of you, actually,” he spluttered. He shook his head. “Draco got a letter from his father… and it’s not good.”

 

All three Gryffindor’s eyes widened. Harry nodded, following Blaise back through the crowd, with Ron and Hermione hot in pursuit. They shoved through hurrying students, using elbows and book bags as leverage to pry spaces open. When they reached the end of the hall Blaise froze with Ron and Hermione, while Harry rushed forwards. Draco was plastered against the wall, chest heaving while shaking his head wildly, hands in is hair. Pansy was desperately trying to console him, talking to him in hushed tones, hands working to free blonde locks from the grip of his fists. Te letter lay between his feet on the floor, material temporarily forgotten.

 

Harry stepped up beside Pansy. He turned to her and she shook her head, tears welled in her eyes. “Draco,” she pleaded. “Please. You’re going to pull your hair out.” He didn’t react.

 

Harry stepped closer, placing his hand on the blond’s cheek. He stroked it with his thumb. “Hi, baby… Let’s talk about this, yeah? We can figure something out.” 

 

Draco shook his head, opening and closing his mouth a few times. “No,” he choked out. “No, we—“

 

Harry brought his other hand up to the boy’s face. “Draco, look at me honey. Please.”

 

Silver eyes met green. Draco’s searching Harry’s. Sheer terror was etched into every line of the blond’s face. 

 

“What’s going on, Draco?” Harry whispered. He lowered his voice. “Is it something with your parents? Are they in danger?” Draco’s eyes continued to search Harry’s. “Are you in danger?” The boy’s chest heaved as he dragged in breathes. In his silence, he  _ begged  _ Harry to understand. “We’re  _ all  _ in danger…”

 

Draco nodded frantically. “My… fault. Myfault. Myfault.”

 

“Shh,” Harry kissed his forehead. “It’s not your fault. What’s he going to do Draco?” The Slytherin shook his head again, unable to string together a sentence. “Hermione, what does the letter say?”

 

He heard her shuffle towards them, and she brushed his leg with her arm as she reached for the folded parchment. She let out a shuttering breath, glancing around at the crowd which had begun to gather to hear what was happening. “ _ Draco, The time has come for you to complete your task. You have no choice, son, and you cannot fail. I hope that the cabinet is ready. You have only one chance to get this right, or you know full well what will happen. Use the cabinet to get the Death Eaters into the school. Find Dumbledore. You know what to do then. You must kill anyone who tries to get in your way. The Death Eaters, as you know, will not hesitate to kill anyone who tries to stop them. Be careful, and get it right. One chance is all you get, and the Dark Lord is already angry with out family.  Best of Luck, Lucius.”  _ She sighed tearfully. “Draco, I’m so sorry.” She turned to face him. “Drac—“

 

He heaved, covered his mouth with his hand, then sprinted for the bathroom just near where they were standing. As chaos ensued with panicked students in the corridor (with Hermione trying to calm them down), Harry followed Draco into the washroom. 

 

Harry heard him before he saw him. The blond was heaving every few seconds, choking and sobbing in between. Harry knelt on the floor beside him, rubbing circles into his back as he continued to retch. A few moments later he leaned back against Harry’s chest, and the Gryffindor wrapped his arms around him. Harry kissed his temple while tears leaked from beneath his clothes eyelids. Harry combed his fingers through the blond locks, “We’ll figure it out, Draco. I promise.” Draco nodded against Harry. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

Together they rose and headed back to the hallway. Harry kept his arm firmly around Draco’s weight as he wobbled on his feet. He tried to steady the Slytherin, but to no avail. They emerged into the hall with Draco still swaying. Silvery eyes turned to look at him, but they were glassy. “Harry…” Without warning Draco collapsed. Harry swung forward to catch him as a few girls screamed. Harry sighed deeply, scooping the frail figure of Draco up into his arms.

 

All eyes are on Harry as he strides past the crowd, the students opening a pathway for them. “I’m going to bring him to the infirmary. Hermione, stay with Pansy and Blaise. Ron, go and get Dumbledore.”   

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks or reading! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, I always love to hear your feedback. Until next time! - Emma :)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Upon request by a few very nice people in the comments I have decided to write another chapter. Feedback is always welcome, I love hearing your thoughts! Thanks for reading! :)


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